Monkeypox challenge

Refer to ‘Tackling monkeypox’; last month, 3,040 cases of monkeypox were reported from 47 countries. The occurrence of monkeypox in many parts of the world and the concern raised by the WHO should be kept in mind. Monkeypox can be controlled as we have in our arsenal a vaccine developed against smallpox. We should assess the immune status of the population vaccinated against smallpox vis-à-vis those who are unvaccinated.

SS Paul, Nadia

Bhagat Singh’s photo

Apropos of ‘SAD(A) submits memo on martyr’s pic’, Simranjit Singh Mann is in the habit of remaining conspicuous in the media by making irresponsible statements. The entire country knows Bhagat Singh as a staunch freedom fighter. If he was an atheist, it was his personal choice. There is nothing wrong in the display of his portrait in the Sikh museum, along with the portraits of other freedom fighters. Mann should desist from making such controversial statements which are in poor taste and not in the interest of anyone, including his own party.

Balbir Singh Kakkar, Jalandhar

Dwindling tree cover

Reference to the news report ‘State records loss of 456 sq km trees cover in just two years’; the report is alarming for a state with only 3.67 per cent forest cover as against the national figure of 21.71 per cent. Thousands of trees were axed during road-widening operations from Phagwara to Ropar and Jalandhar to Hoshiarpur. The guidelines of planting 10 times more trees before uprooting them were grossly flouted. No new trees are visible along these stretches. The state government must fix accountability of erring officials and take effective measures to increase the dwindling forest cover.

JAGDISH CHANDER, JALANDHAR

Rank is all that matters

Refer to the article ‘The hollowness of ranking’, everything in the education sector is now dependent on rankings. Branding in education is not the best advertisement for it. Education in India has come a long way from the guru-shishya relationship, and a student is now a consumer. All the trappings around educational institutions are designed to make the consumer buy the ‘product’ available. Dedicated teachers who wanted to mould students are a rarity, and those who did it without monetary expectations have gone extinct.

ANTHONY HENRIQUES, MUMBAI

Quality education

Apropos of the article ‘The hollowness of ranking’, India has more of quantity, but little ‘quality’ education. Globally, our universities are at the tail-end. At the age of 23, Shaheed Bhagat Singh had read so much. Till his last moment, he was reading Lenin. Imagine his level of inquisitiveness! True education is the progressive discovery of our ignorance. We are lacking on that front.

BM SINGH, AMRITSAR

Illegal mining

Reference to ‘Nuh murder symptomatic of political malaise’; mining is not a small operation that it can be hidden instantly. Perhaps, no government has been serious about checking illegal mining. Why are forces like the CISF not employed and barriers put on roads with cameras for surveillance? Work permits to vehicles and handlers need to be registered and identified after verification of antecedents. The society should boycott those involved in wrong practices. The voters need to be circumspect in the interest of democracy.

GIAN P KANSAL, AMBALA CITY

Dumping garbage in river

Refer to ‘Bhuntar MC workers dumping garbage in the Beas’; the act goes against the extant BJP dispensation’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan. The authorities concerned are duty-bound to find a safe disposal system in their own area, instead of dumping litter down a river. The dumping is bound to adversely affect the lives of people living in lower areas. The administration, both at the district and state levels, must join hands for the safe and scientific disposal of garbage towards achieving the national goal of Swachh Bharat.

KL Noatay, Kangra

Smart e-beat policing

The smart e-beat policing system launched by the Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar, will not only benefit the police, but also society. It will become easy for the police to patrol various areas. The best thing is that the bikes given to them can be tracked, which will help in providing immediate help to the citizens. Every city should opt for such a system.

Rajbir singh, Shahkot

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