Common man vulnerable

The strike by employees of the electricity department in Chandigarh not only put the entire city out of gear, but also brought to the limelight the vulnerabilities of the common man who tends to suffer whatever the case may be. Not long ago, the agitation by farmers turned into a headache for daily commuters, as highways were blocked at the whims of the farmers. This was followed by strikes by contractual teachers and truck unions. The common man has been at the forefront of bearing the brunt of all agitations and strikes. The demands of the protesters may get fulfilled soon, but who will be accountable for the loss of crores to the economy?

Neeraj Sharma, Mohali

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Lights out

Apropos of ‘Darkness in Chandigarh’, it’s shocking and disturbing to see that Chandigarh, known for its efficient administration and disciplined government working, witnessed the worst-ever power blackout for almost three days. Normal life came to a standstill and industry suffered huge monetary losses. The Essential Services (Maintenance) Act was rightly been imposed to prohibit the strike of power employees. The disruption also affected hospitals, where patients may have been on ventilators and other life support systems. The Chandigarh administration must take necessary disciplinary action against the employees for causing inconvenience to the general public and ensure that such situations do not recur.

SANJAY CHOPRA, MOHALI

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Ukraine conflict

Refer to ‘Ukraine crisis’; Russia should shed its ego which is a double-edged sword — the outer edge destroys popularity and the inner edge, purity. It is shameful that though the Covid-19 pandemic brought all countries on the same platform in 2021, certain nations are still thinking of superiority.

Sunil Chopra, Ludhiana

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Offline exams

Reference to ‘SC junks plea...’; the decision of the court is timely and praiseworthy. Board exams are a tool to evaluate a student’s capability to comprehend and analyse the subject matter taught in school. This will help students to plan their future as per their score. Online mode of classes and exams was introduced during the pandemic and even results were declared on the basis of school assessment, which helped many undeserving students get through, causing resentment among brilliant students. No board exam should be conducted online.

Darshan Singh Bhathal, Nangal

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Bad roads

‘Fatal road mishaps’ rightly attributes road accidents mainly to speeding, which accounts for 60% of the fatalities. Governments throughout the world rely heavily on traffic law and enforcement programmes to check driver behaviour and enhance road safety. Traffic laws have been established in India, but policing of these laws and application of penalties and use of technology to enforce traffic laws is essential. The number of traffic police personnel should be increased. Stray animals are another reason for accidents. As a majority of roads do not fall under state and national highways, the condition of new roads becomes pitiable within a year as road building tenders below 20% of estimated cost are awarded to contractors and further substantial amount of bill has to be paid to the municipal authorities and elected representatives of these bodies. In such a scenario, what quality of road can one expect? This problem has become perennial and needs to be addressed by state governments.

OM PARKASH PANESAR, KAITHAL

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Not at cost of peace

The middle ‘Hijab and Urdu poetry’ was interesting. Irrespective of ethnic identity of any commune, the purdah or veil for women is strongly insisted upon; more by patriarchal men, who treat women as their property. The ghunghat, another form of veil, like hijab, for covering a woman’s face is quite common with women in one form or the other in the subcontinent. Broad-mindedness to dispense with it, either as hijab or ghunghat, is dawning among affected societies, but at a slow pace. Yet, insistence on banning hijab in Karnataka’s academic institutes for uniformity in pupils’ clothing — at the cost of societal peace — must be reconsidered.

KL Noatay, Kangra

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Karnal rail project

Refer to the Karnal-Yamunanagar rail project; the rail line has not been sanctioned by the Railways technically, as yet. The pink book of the Northern Railway for the financial year 2022-23 does not mention the project. Any rail project that has not been mentioned in the pink book does not come in the category of a sanctioned project. So, it is wrong to say that the Railways has sanctioned the Karnal-Yamunanagar rail line project.

Suresh Dhiman, Yamunanagar

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