Air quality plunges

Reference to ‘As Delhi chokes’; the apex court has rightly reprimanded the inefficient and apathetic Delhi government for failing to check pollution in the capital. The Delhi CM is in the habit of passing the buck by blaming the neighbouring states for all the ills. We have wreaked havoc on our beautiful and bountiful nature without any care for the consequences. The appalling conditions of slums stand testimony to the price man is paying for urbanisation. Air pollution is a direct result of industrialisation. Delhi is among the most polluted cities. Increase in pollution has only added to problems making life difficult for the common man. This can be checked by conforming to norms to reduce emissions and take measures to preserve the natural surroundings. Industries should strictly adhere to safety levels.

Anil Bhatia, Hisar

A lesson to keep

Refer to ‘Memories & trauma of ’47’; a vast majority of Indians were born long after Partition tore apart the Indian subcontinent. They must indeed remember the agony of a million people losing their lives in communal riots. But the salient point is what they should remember and what lessons they should draw from remembering Partition horrors. We should remember that the most tragic victims of the violence were women. We should also remember the thousands of Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims who risked their lives to save their neighbours from people of their own community. Indians must never forget the torment and horrors of the Partition. We must remember it so that we never allow hate to partition our land and our hearts. We must remember what hate does to people. Society heals and progresses through cohesion and certainly not by propagating divisiveness.

Prakash Hanspaul, by mail

Nehru won’t be forgotten

‘Nehru’s birth anniversary’ gives voice to the ideas and sentiments of millions of Indians. Nehru had spent nearly a decade in British jails during our freedom struggle. He revamped agriculture, laid the foundation of heavy industries and stood for the sovereignty of our country in its modern phase. We should not grudge honour and admiration to our great men who have guided us through turbulent times and taught us to march ahead with dignity as a nation. In the modern history of India, we may criticise Nehru on policy matters, yet we cannot, and should not, ignore him in our vital national interest. Nehru is an indivisible part of our collective history, culture and tradition.

Raj Bahadur, Fatehabad

Breach of protocol

Refer to ‘Nehru’s birth anniversary’; it is discourtesy officially shown to the memory of the country’s first PM, Jawaharlal Nehru, who is credited with guiding the foundation of democratic institutional practice in India. On his birth anniversary, the absence of the Lok Sabha Speaker, Rajya Sabha Chairman, PM and other senior ministers at a function in Parliament House sends out a bleak message. The contributions of Nehru towards building a secular nation after Independence cannot be discounted so easily by making contrived allegations and twisting facts of history. Nation’s icons, who took part valiantly in the freedom struggle, should be remembered.

SS Paul, Nadia

Supreme Court rap

Refer to ‘Winds of change’; it is sad that the SC had to interfere in the inefficient functioning of the governments, be it at the Centre or states, even for small issues. The court is the repository of the Constitution and has to undertake more tasks and onerous responsibilities. It had to intervene with regard to the grant of permanent commission to women officers and to hold NDA exams for women. It had to take a hard stance in case of failure to comply with its orders. Also, it has had to intervene in matters concerning aid to Covid orphans, granting ex-gratia to kin of Covid victims, farmers’ protests and clearing of routes, stubble burning and tackling of air pollution in Delhi and nearby areas. The political leadership aided by an indifferent bureaucracy forms a formidable team to thwart all endeavours to achieve good governance.

Raj Kumar Kapoor, Ropar

Onus on all Indians

The article ‘Hindutva vs Hinduism’ rightly warns the nation against ‘collective suicide’ towards which we are heading with our toxic obsession for Hindutva hegemony. Instead of cultivating all-inclusive, compassionate notion of nationalism, the present day atmosphere of hatred is bound to affect the spiritual health of our great civilisation. But why should we put the onus of resisting boldly only on the shoulders of Rahul Gandhi? It is the duty of every Indian, every writer, journalist or artist to stand up and resist the onslaught of the divisive politics of Hindutva, without hurting the ennobling and enlightening sentiments of liberal Hinduism.

Amrit Lal Madan, Kaithal

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