Parliamentary procedures
Apropos of the editorial, ‘Disdainful haste’ (Sept 22), our Parliament has had an uneven history, sometimes rising to its democratic mandate and at other times, debasing itself, as has happened in the last few days. There are parliamentary procedures, which are cornerstones of democracy but have been ignored. One of them is the suspension of Question Hour, and the second is the refusal to refer the Bills to committees, which is a good practice to suggest amendments. The third important one is the division of votes, which needs to be granted by the Speaker if the House asks for it. On Sunday, the farm bills were debated, but the Deputy Chairman refused the division. This is a travesty of Parliament. The Opposition’s heckling of the Deputy Chairman also was self-defeating. Parliament must serve to reassure the people, uphold due process and serve as an oasis of calm and reasoned debate amid a worsening economic crisis.
Lal Singh, Amritsar
Condemnable conduct
Refer to ‘Ruckus as eight MPs suspended’ (Sept 22), the conduct of lawmakers in the Upper House of Parliament is unprecedented and highly condemnable. Abusing the presiding officer and a threat of physical harm is not in any way the Gandhian style of protest and does not behove a parliamentarian. This needs censure instead of justifying it by blaming the Chair. It was a black day in Rajya Sabha.
Ashok Kumar, Jalandhar
Teaching in times of Covid
My mother is a teacher in a government school and has been assigned one duty or the other every day. One of the teachers in her school tested positive for Covid-19. But the admission process and exams were all conducted the way they used to be in a pre-pandemic world. Even after all standard operating procedures have been followed, it still does not guarantee that a student or teacher won’t contract the virus. The student-teacher ratio is so disproportionate that it becomes quite a task for a teacher — sanitising hands, maintaining proper distance and keeping things in order, all done wearing a mask. Teaching online has also been a trouble since many students do not have the resources. We might be near the end of 2020 but we are nowhere near the end of Covid-19.
Yashudha Pande, Paonta Sahib
Right to protest
The news item ‘Can’t claim absolute right to protest’ came as a pleasant surprise. Hope this valuable opinion of the court would pave the way for a permanent end to needless drama in the garb of protests that cause damage to national as well as private property and result in loss of manhours, inflicting agony on the common man. No right is limitless, every right is bound by a Lakshman Rekha, which should not be crossed.
AK Sharma, Chandigarh
MEA official in China talks
The inclusion of an official from the MEA in military commanders’ dialogue between India and China is the right thing to do. Whereas one hopes for the success of the talks to disengage and deescalate as early as possible, preferably, before the onset of winter, one of the reasons for the failure of talks so far has been the disconnect between the armies and the diplomatic corps on both sides. Hopefully, this is adequately bridged this time.
Lt Col GS Bedi (retd), Mohali
Negligence in hospitals
Refer to the editorial, ‘No room for laxity’, Punjab’s fatality rate continues to be amongst the highest in the country. No doubt, the focus currently is on the farmers’ protest, but how can the government overlook the utter negligence by the hospitals? There is no denying that the state badly needs to improve its healthcare infrastructure to meet the unprecedented challenge. The government at this point of time should be accountable to the people whenever there is such an act of negligence in the hospitals.
Amitoj Kaur, Patiala
Treat non-Covid patients
Tackling the coronavirus is the most challenging task, efficiently performed by the paramedical staff, but the concern is over the treatment of other ailments. Patients of chronic ailments are being ignored because of the Covid surge. Doctors are life savers and when it is a question of survival, they cannot pick and choose patients. Treatment of every ailment is equally important. At the same time, the government needs to focus on people’s welfare by making investments in the health sector, maintaining sound infrastructure and increasing budget expenditure. Let’s say more through action than words.
Ankita Prasher, Bundala
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