Anti-national agenda

It has been observed that whenever the Abdullahs are out of power in J&K, they vent their frustration by spitting venom against the country and the government of the day. Farooq Abdullah is now looking towards China for restoring Article 370. It is astonishing that an MP who is drawing his pay and perks from the national exchequer makes such an absurd, anti-national statement. Can the people and the government of an independent country tolerate such a statement? The government should take a serious note of his utterances and take stern action under the law of the land.

Jagdish Banyal, Una

Farooq Abdullah wrong

It was shocking to read the statement of Farooq Abdullah, MP and three-time CM of J&K, that Article 370 may get restored with the help of China’s might. He must keep it in mind that it is an internal matter of India and no one can intervene in it. All leading newspapers have criticised the detention of state opposition leaders. Abdullah’s statement will not be helpful, rather he has downgraded his status.

Subhash C Taneja, Gurugram

More than meets the eye

‘The Hathras question (Oct 14)’ casts aspersions on the intent of the UP administration in its inhuman act of the midnight cremation of the rape victim. The DM could not have taken such a drastic step on his own. The decision to cremate the body must have been sanctioned by the CM himself. The Yogi government is selectively planting misinformation through a friendly electronic media that it was a case of ‘honour’ killing and not of rape by upper caste culprits of the same village. Another bogey of Rs 100 crore being pumped into India to begin caste riots has been planted by the UP Chief Minister. Surprisingly, the ED has not confirmed the news of confiscation of this money. The UP administration has mishandled this sensitive case since the beginning.

Arun Hastir, Gurdaspur

RTI potential not fulfilled

Refer to ‘Plug gaps to make RTI Act realise potential (Oct 14)’; I have been using this Act since its inception on issues concerning the maladministration of our universities and colleges. To my dismay, I have found the Act to be ineffective. State public information officers (SPIOs), mostly superintendents of the department concerned, have scant regard for the rule of law, being at the fag-end of their career. Some of them are so brazen and incorrigible that they simply transfer the application to other public authority for doing the needful. The First Appellate Authority (FAA), mostly the senior functionary of the department, acts in unison with the incompetent, apathetic SPIO. The politically appointed State Information Commissioners (SICs), mostly unscrupulous retired bureaucrats having nothing at stake, have a lackadaisical attitude. They simply pass orders without giving any cogent reasons. The Act enacted for bringing transparency, accountability and good governance has failed to help the common man. Unfortunately, RTI applications are treated as complaints and RTI applicants as criminals. In 90 per cent cases, the SPIOs conceal information and the FAA upholds the order of the SPIO.

Anil Bhatia, Hisar

Strict policing needed

Apropos of ‘Shootouts in Chandigarh (Oct 14)’, it’s shocking to read about yet another killing. With the recent spurt in crime in the tricity, it looks like criminals have no fear of the police. Aggressive and efficient patrolling and frequent checking of vehicles, particularly at night, can help check crime. The police need to use its intelligence wing to nab the culprits before or after the incidents.

VANDANA, CHANDIGARH

Eliminate farmers’ doubts

It is the responsibility of farmers and all political parties not to let Punjab’s environment deteriorate. Commuters to Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar are facing difficulties due to the disruption in the running of trains since September 24. Railway revenue is declining. The Central government and the Government of Punjab should jointly introduce amendments to agricultural reform laws, eliminating the doubts of representatives and organisations of the farmers. Also, the trains should be made operational as soon as possible.

Yugal Kishore Sharma, Faridabad

Take bull by the horns

Apropos of ‘Dispute part of China mission: Rajnath’, the tensions between India and China continue to prevail despite numerous efforts to resolve them. It is time India should take strong action either strategically or from the defence angle. As many as 44 bridges made by the BRO were inaugurated by Rajnath Singh, all in strategic areas that gives India an advantage for the movement of troops. It is time to catch the bull by its horn and do what it takes to resolve this conflict once and for all. Diplomatic steps should also be taken to build pressure on China.

Ishita Kukreja, Ludhiana

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