Flyers from the UK

The policy of reciprocity in quarantine for flyers from the UK is an example of not applying the mind in policy formulation which is becoming all-pervasive in government circles these days . Will it not be highly discriminatory when the UK nationals will be segregated for quarantine from the Indian nationals on arrival ? In that case, this tit for tat will make a mockery of India in the international arena and cause unnecessary wrinkles in the India-UK relations. The policy must be withdrawn immediately.

Lt Col GS Bedi (retd), Mohali

SC to farmers

The Supreme Court has come down heavily on the farmers over blocking of roads, resulting in inconvenience to the public. The top court also made the comment that citizens have a right to move freely. The farmers have obstructed the movement of vehicles carrying defence personnel and heckled them, stopped trains, blocked highways and then say that their protests are peaceful. The bench wanted to know whether they are protesting against the judicial system, when the matter is already sub judice in the court and the implementation of the laws have been put on hold for a year and half by the SC in January this year to bring the farmers to the negotiating table.

Abhash Simba, Panchkula

Inconvenience to people

It is understandable that the farmers have the right to protest against the laws they perceive as harmful to them. At the same time, the common man also has the right to free movement. There may be many who need to travel to Delhi-NCR for treatment, sickness of some dear ones or the death of close relatives. One can understand the frustration, helplessness and dejection a person may face during such a situation. The government, farmers, common citizens and courts, all are responsible to ensure that the rights of individuals should be equally protected, otherwise it will lead to anarchy.

Ashwani Bakhshi, by mail

Urban mission

Seven years after launching his government’s key programme, PM Modi has announced the second phase of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), with a fresh promise to make India’s cities clean. The current model of issuing mega contracts to big corporations — as against decentralised community-level operations has left waste segregation at source a non-starter. On sanitation, the claim of exceeding the targets for household, community and public toilets is far from reality as without water connections, many of them are unusable. State and municipal governments, which do the heavy lifting on waste and sanitation issues, should work to increase community ownership of the system. Also, the ambition of achieving 100% tap water supply in about 4,700 urban local bodies and sewerage in 500 AMRUT cities depends on making good public housing accessible to millions of people.

Sanjay Chopra, Mohali

Freebie populism

Apropos of the editorial, ‘Competitive freebies’, the political parties trying to entice the voters in Punjab ahead of the 2022 state elections is dismal. All parties know the fiscal position of the state well. Wherefrom will this money pour in? The politicians do not delineate this ever. These populist announcements in the state’s existing fluid fiscal position are also a big dampener for fresh industrial entrepreneurship in Punjab which is being allured by other states to invest there.

Brij B Goyal, Ludhiana

Indo-Pacific security

The AUKUS alliance in the Indo-Pacific for security in the region will be a landmark partnership for many reasons. In the aftermath of the Afghanistan rout, it is a powerful and strong signal from the US that it is still in the game, which is bound to rattle China. For India, Australia’s willingness to take on the role of the US/UK’s sword arm in the region is a welcome development to contain China.

PL Singh, by email

Simplicity for leaders

October 2 is celebrated to honour the memory of our great leaders MK Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri who led people by their personal standards of high orders. They preached what they practiced. Now, it is high time for our leaders from all walks of life to practice in their life what they preach or expect from the people. Gestures of simplicity will save crores, which in turn, can be utilised for improving healthcare infrastructure. Such initiatives would be a befitting tribute to these great leaders.

Ravi Bhushan, Kurukshetra

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