Inculcate scientific thinking

Refer to ‘The charge of the lumpen brigade’; those who pursue a divisive agenda in the name of religion, caste, language, region, state, etc have an insatiable thirst for staying in power, be it political or religious. They are well aware of the damage they are doing to society and the nation. But what about the unsuspecting youth whose minds they fill with hatred, anger, ignorance, intolerance and aggressiveness, making them blindly follow their dangerous narratives? Inculcating scientific thinking in our youth, so vital for the bright future of our nation, is becoming increasingly difficult day by day.

Hira Sharma, by email

Dereliction of duty

Apropos of the editorial, ‘Hospital deaths’; it is heart-wrenching that three patients died at the Jalandhar Civil Hospital allegedly due to a disruption to the oxygen supply. The failure to do quick course correction underlines the dereliction of duty of the hospital authorities. The probe committee should fix accountability and recommend exemplary action. The standard operating procedure should be strictly implemented in all public and private hospitals to prevent recurrence of such tragedies.

SS Arora, Mohali

No end to monsoon misery

Refer to ‘One rain, many failures: What drowns Delhi-NCR every year’; it is a matter of serious concern that every year, the rainy season brings misery to the public not only in Delhi-NCR but also in hill states like Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. Dilapidated houses and ill-maintained school buildings are vulnerable to the fury of floods. Damaged roads and the absence of efficient drainage add to the woes of the residents, including schoolgoing children. Both the Central and state governments need to be well prepared to face the vagaries of weather so that public safety is not compromised.

Ravinder Kumar Jain, Ludhiana

Fill posts in aviation agencies

Apropos of the news report, ‘Turbulence under wings…’; it is worrisome that over 10,000 sanctioned posts are lying vacant in key regulatory bodies dealing with fliers’ safety and airport security. While the memory of the horrific air crash in Ahmedabad is still fresh in our minds, the acknowledgement by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in Parliament of the shortage of staff in the sector is disturbing. The expansion of airports and flights is welcome, but top priority must be accorded to passenger safety. The government needs to take the issue seriously to ensure that fliers who repose faith in airlines such as Air India are not let down.

Sadhna Saini, by email

New high for Indian chess

Indian chess is scaling new heights, thanks to the stellar performance of young players. Adding another feather to India’s cap, Divya Deshmukh beat compatriot Koneru Humpy to win the FIDE Women’s World Cup. She has also become a Grandmaster at the age of 19. Divya, who hails from Nagpur, initially wanted to become a badminton player, but could not do so due to a height constraint. She shifted her attention from the badminton court to the chessboard, and has never looked back. The victory made her the fourth Indian woman to achieve the prestigious title of Grandmaster. Truly, the sky’s the limit for Indian chess.

Kirti Wadhawan, Kanpur

Pilgrimages taking tragic turn

Pilgrimages, which epitomise spiritual harmony and inner peace, have sadly and ironically turned into an ordeal. This is evident from the back-to-back stampedes at Hardwar and Barabanki. The mishaps have highlighted gaps in crowd management by the authorities, which are none the wiser despite a series of similar incidents across the country. The need of the hour is to deploy well-trained and experienced personnel, besides drones, for effective crowd monitoring.

Aanya Singhal, Noida

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