Another gas leak disaster

Apropos of ‘Vizag gas leak kills 11, over 1,000 affected’ (May 8), the dreadful incident has brought back the grim memories of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, which claimed thousands of lives. As styrene is a known carcinogen and requires a high level of supervision during its usage, one wonders how the company was made to establish the plant amid a residential area. Our country is already dealing with the extremities of Covid-19. The Vizag gas leak should be acknowledged as a cold-blooded murder, and not merely a mishap. Those guilty should be punished stringently.

Tushar Anand, via mail

Health system crumbling

Apropos of ‘Death of a Covid-positive cop’ (May 8), it is really shameful that constable Arun Kumar had to die for want of care and treatment, that too in the national capital. If it can happen to a constable, with all the so-called medical wherewithal and expertise against Covid-19 around, what will be the fate of a hapless villager in rural India, whose trials generally remain out of media gaze? It not only brings to light an environment of apathy, insensitivity and inefficiency of our healthcare system mired in cumbersome procedures and maladministration, but also the false claims of our leaders. The tragedy needs to be probed so that recurrence of such incidents can be avoided.

Gp Capt JS Boparai (retd), Bhadsali

Apathy to the fore

The editorial ‘Death of a Covid-positive cop’ (May 8) reveals the apathy towards people afflicted with the deadly virus. Patients should be treated with compassion. It is heartbreaking to see a young cop dying due to lack of medical attention. The police are risking their lives for us and is this what they get in return?

Drishti Doel, Jalandhar

Medical negligence

If a government employee, a cop, who might have contracted the disease while on duty, could be meted out such shabby treatment when his life was in danger, one can imagine the fate of the general public. The authorities need to wake up and have suitable measures in place to ensure no valuable life is lost in future due to medical negligence and red tape in the system.

SS Arora, Mohali

Mishandled labour issue

Refer to the editorial ‘Let migrants decide’ (May 8); Indian industry and agriculture survive and thrive on manpower, and the exodus of labour can bring all industry and development to a grinding halt. Our system, government, NGOs and other social organisations failed to assess the labour problems and solutions. A contingency plan at the national level is required to keep them staying at their place of work. Covid is, after all, a temporary crisis. The Karnataka CM’s idea came too late, and in a flimsy manner.

BM Singh, Amritsar

Need workers

Reference to ‘Halt exodus by extending aid to labour, say industrialists’ (May 8); when there is some relaxation for construction work and industries in the state, migrants should not have been sent back to their native states. This is the time when labour was needed. Rather than spending money on their transportation, they should have been provided with help and shelter. A large number of micro and small enterprises are going to be affected. Some alternative arrangements should have been made in coordination with the industrialists to check the exodus.

Abhilasha Gupta, Mohali

Foreign companies

With reference to the article ‘Shift of supply chains from China’; as India is taking various steps to attract foreign companies, which are moving out of China, we have also to seek redress to issues regarding the speedy disposal of suits. One of the big reasons why foreign companies don’t prefer India is that there is lack of infrastructure for quick redress. Rather than going for a regular lawsuit, which is exhausting due to a case backlog in courts, we need an efficient and speedy disposal system for resolving business disputes.

Navkiran Kaur, Bathinda

Darbar move illogical

It is strange that the practice of J&K darbar move is still continuing. Apart from the huge expenditure, it causes disruption in official work and inconvenience to the public. Further, if the people in the Valley can bear the harsh winter conditions, why can’t people’s representatives? And how about the soldiers bearing the freezing cold on Siachen Glacier? The darbar move at the expense of the state exchequer is illogical and can be avoided. Alternatively, some government offices in Srinagar and some in Jammu can be set up permanently.

Lt Col RL Arora (retd), Jalandhar

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