Dream home gone

Refer to ‘Paradise lost’; hapless citizens who dreamt of owning a house have lost everything at the hands of the unscrupulous builder. Two lives have been lost in the tragic accident and the fear of death is lurking over the survivors. Who is responsible for this criminal negligence and who will compensate the victims and the investors? Probably none. They will be left to their fate and eventually made to suffer in the hope of getting justice. The government has in its fold housing boards and urban development authorities, but has failed in its duty to provide affordable housing to citizens. The government can’t escape its share of blame for the failure to regulate and supervise the builder which has led to the present disaster.

SK Takyar, Panchkula

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Mehbooba on wrong track

With regard to ‘Talks with Pak on Kashmir necessary, says Mehbooba’; it does not behove the daughter of a former Home Minister of India to instruct the Centre to initiate a dialogue with Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue. She herself remained the CM of Jammu & Kashmir and is aware of the fact that Kashmir is an integral part of India. The Centre has rightly refused to talk to Islamabad about J&K, and instead wants to talk about PoK. She would be labelled as anti-national if she invokes international bodies on the issue.

Vijaya Sharma, by mail

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Picture of courage

Des Raj Tandon’s hair-raising story is truly inspiring, not because it took him 30 years to attain normalcy, but because of the grit, determination and perseverance that he displayed (‘The unending ordeal’, Sunday Tribune). These values are imperative for today’s youth. Youngsters give up easily, feel dejected or even resort to suicide after small failures in life. More and more such stories need to be shared with people so that they can develop a never-say-die attitude. The steely resolve of Des Raj and his family deserves a salute.

Rashmi sikri, by mail

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Stay active to stay fit

Reference to ‘41% adults not physically active’; sedentary lifestyle has contributed to high risk of diseases, especially diabetes and heart ailments, among the masses. Women are found to be lazier than men. People these days are juggling between home and office, with work pressure and social media usage coming in the way of people adopting any kind of physical activity. It is vital to stay active for good health. Offices should also start some project to encourage employees to adopt any physical activity.

Abhilasha Gupta, Mohali

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Photo finish

Apropos of ‘Giant step’, alpine skier Arif Khan finishing 45th is the best finish for India in the giant slalom event. He is the lone participant from India in the Winter Olympics and is the first Indian to qualify for two events. His combined time which got him the 45th position was 37.89 seconds behind gold-winner Marco Odermatt of Switzerland. It is a proud moment for India. We are proud to have players like Arif Khan.

Anwita Dixit, Ludhiana

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It’s not about hijab

Apropos of ‘Muslim girls and the hijab’, the writer talks about the hijab, depicting it as an instrument of backwardness among Muslim women. But the actual debate is on wearing the dress of their choice. When the hijab is forcefully imposed on women, it violates their rights within the ambit of their family, society and religion, but when a woman herself wishes to wear it, she should not be forced to not wear it. The present dispute is not about the dress code, but of religious attitudes of people and disrespecting each other’s way of living.

Vishiwjeet Singh, Chandigarh

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Why exams online?

Everything from bazaars to educational institutions and marriage palaces are open in Punjab. Political parties are organising big rallies consisting of hundreds of people. The effect of the Covid-19 and Omicron virus is decreasing day by day. Then why are universities conducting online examinations, making a mockery of the education system? They are shirking from their major responsibility of conducting examinations. From registration number, allotment of university roll number, mailing question papers, receiving PDF, evaluation of answer books, all are done by the colleges. In some cases, old question papers are mailed by universities. This has increased the burden of colleges and also lowered the standard of education. Majority of students are scoring above 90% in online examinations. Intelligent students are the sufferers. Online examinations have spoiled the reading habits of students. For the sake of quality education, the universities should conduct offline examinations only. For security reasons, it may increase the duration by conducting examinations of two-three classes daily.

BL Gohal, Nabha

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