Comes at a price

Navjot Sidhu has been vocal about the economic viability of the freebies being promised by all political parties before the Punjab Assembly elections. His concerns should be taken as a challenge to be answered by the political leaders to reveal the source of income to meet the increased budget. He has not even spared his own CM by giving facts and figures about the debt and deficit the state is already burdened with. The aim of the parties is only to win the elections by giving allurements to the voters, leaving them in the lurch and disillusionment, as has happened in the past. CM Channi is making irrational and illogical announcements, which will adversely affect the state treasury which is said to be already empty.

Chaman Arora, Ferozepur

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Hike traffic penalties

Reference to ‘Killer roads’; despite substantial enhancement in penalties for the wrongs committed on roads, the reduction in road accidents has not been proportionate. It reflects the callous behaviour of road users, resulting in the death of 1.5 lakh persons every year. Most important is driving discipline, patience and focus on the road. These qualities should be instilled during training and refresher stints on driving. Similarly, schools should educate students about good driving habits. Drivers should take advantage of modern technology for cautions about prevailing road and traffic conditions to avoid collisions. Those who do not comply with instructions should be handed stringent punishment. All possible efforts should be adopted to bring the accident rate to zero.

SUBHASH VAID, NEW DELHI

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Digital currency

Apropos of ‘Cryptocurrency law’; it is expected that around Rs 40K crore is invested by Indians in these private digital currencies. It is a good step as these currencies are not backed by any sovereign regulatory bank. If the same money was routed through a sovereign bank, such huge amount of money could be used in enhancing the GDP of the country. Some legal digital currency backed by the RBI should be launched. Accumulated money can also be used for nefarious activities. The government should take stringent measures to also ban illegal betting in sports, especially cricket, and lotteries.

Rajesh Goyal, by mail

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Ward attendants missing

‘No ward attendant at Civil Hospital, critical patients suffer’ speaks volumes about the sorry state of affairs at Government Hospitals in Punjab. Ward attendants are trained to perform their duties in the correct manner. Family members/relatives of patients cannot replace them as they may commit mistakes while moving a patient. The health minister should take cognisance of such incidents and take effective steps to mitigate the misery of patients.

Vijaya Sharma, by mail

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Steps to curb pollution

Refer to ‘Immediate steps needed: SC on Delhi air pollution’; some drastic steps must be taken to curb pollution: shut industry for two days in a week, reintroduce odd-even scheme for cars, encourage car-pooling and two-wheeler sharing, autos should remain off the road on weekends, heavy vehicles should ply only at night, stubble burning should be banned effectively. Offenders must be heavily fined. Noise pollution is equally worrisome. Loudspeakers installed at religious places disturb the sick, the elderly and students.

WG CDR CL SEHGAL (RETD), JALANDHAR

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Beyond blame game

Like every year, this year, too, has seen a spike in the cases of stubble burning, especially in Punjab and Haryana. Where the Central government continues to blame farmers for the rising pollution, the farmers are left with no choice because of inappropriate government policies. At this time, both need to cooperate and look for alternatives, such as an increase in subsidies, decomposing methods and conversion of stubble to biomass energy rather than turning the sky grey.

Deepanshi, Patiala

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Low vulture count

Reference to the news report ‘Worried over dip in vulture count, Centre initiates study in Pong area’; there is an alarming decline in the population of vulture species not only in Himachal Pradesh, but also in Punjab and Haryana. Vultures are seen as the harbingers of death and disaster, as dirty and evil birds, but actually they are environment purifiers. They also play a significant role in checking the spread of dangerous diseases. The Environment and Forest Ministry should take concrete measures to save the vultures.

Raj Kumar Kapoor, Ropar

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