Realty sharks
Apropos of ‘Realty check’; the intention behind the legislation and the establishment of an adjudicatory body to safeguard the interest of home buyers and other real estate assets stand diluted, courtesy dishonest builders and their wily legal advisers. Advertisements for non-existent properties, exaggerated features, amenities and incentives trick gullible buyers, leading to frustration and protracted legal battle. The delay for compensation by Chintels India Pvt Ltd and the woes of homeowners is a testimony to the state of affairs on the ground. The regulatory mechanism needs to be one step ahead as realty sharks can’t be tamed without proactive and firm action by RERA , backed by strong political will.
GP CAPT JS BOPARAI (RETD), by mail
Dodgy deals
Apropos of ‘Realty check’; it is shocking that residents of Gurugram’s Paradiso society had to approach courts to get justice. It’s no secret that the edifice of corruption in urban India rests on the foundation of dodgy deals contracted between builders, politicians and sarkari babus. These include officials of state authorities, engineers, site inspectors and real estate agents. At the top of pyramid is the political party that controls the levers of power. This system has infected every urban township and Chintels Paradiso is no exception.
RAMESH GUPTA, NARWANA
SC’s anguish
The anguish expressed by the Supreme Court on the appointment of Election Commissioners is genuine and disturbing (‘Silence of Constitution exploited: SC on appointment of CEC, ECs’). It is also true about appointments in other constitutional bodies. Taking advantage of the silence of the Constitution on such points, governments tend to exploit the situation to their advantage. Resultantly, these bodies, which are expected to work independently of government’s influence, lose their independence. Most of the time, it is apparent that their decisions are unduly influenced by the government of the day and that defeats the very purpose of constituting such bodies by our Constitution founders. The Supreme Court should constitute a body/committee comprising of top legal and constitutional experts under its direct control to suggest changes/clarify the ambiguities so as to remove them. These recommendations should be ratified by Parliament so that these become the law of the land and no government can exploit these for its political benefits.
NK Gosain, Bathinda
A long shot
Reference to ‘Indian Army ready to execute orders on taking back POK, says top General’; notwithstanding the Army’s readiness, such a possibility does not exist, at least for now. In fact, one has to read between the lines the statement made of the Northern Army Commander that ‘the military is always ready to make sure that ceasefire understanding is never broken as it is in the interest of both nations’ to draw some worthy conclusion. Even Pakistan may be aware of the immediate fallout of such a misadventure. No wonder it has been taking recourse to proxy war instead of indulging in any direct confrontation with India.
Vinayak G, by mail
Treat doctors better
Reference to the news report ‘Punjab Govt to upgrade health centres’; it is a good move, but the health centres need good doctors and specialists, which the government lacks. The present doctors are not treated well and are not paid salaries for months together. The doctors under the Ludhiana zila parishad have not been paid arrears since 2011. Most of the experienced doctors have left government service out of frustration. For better medical facilities to the public, better treatment to doctors is imperative.
SS Bhathal, by mail
Climate summit
Though it may not be easy to gauge the outcome of the COP27 Summit held recently in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, because of the lack of consensus among countries on various crucial issues, the setting up of the Loss and Damage Fund is promising. The fund will provide monetary assistance to the poor and developing countries for the damage caused due to environmental and climate changes. It is high time to keep a tight rein on developed countries and hold them accountable, for they are responsible for extra release of carbon in the atmosphere, which is a major reason for global warming.
Ravinder Kumar Thakur, Kishtwar
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