RS nominations

Reference to ‘RS poll muddle’; the Upper House members play a crucial role in the legislation of laws for the states. Political parties have been using these nominations to adjust their leaders who lost elections, were not given ticket or to keep them with the party. Leaders have been nominated for election from other states. How can they look after the interests of these states? There is a need to fix MSP for the sale and purchase of these leaders also. Only people belonging to a state should be nominated for election to the RS, so that they can look after the interests of the state. No action has been taken so far in the sale and purchase of leaders to vote for a particular candidate. The Supreme Court must take cognisance of such incidents and declare this act as corruption.

Wg Cdr Jasbir S Minhas (retd), Mohali

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Minister in custody

Refer to ‘Delhi Health Minister Jain sent to ED custody till June 9’; the Union and state governments run in the name of President or Governor on the collective aid and advice of the Cabinet headed by the PM or the CM, respectively. After the intolerant power zealots in West Bengal and Maharashtra, the contagion of witch-hunting political adversaries and law-enforcing agencies at loggerheads among themselves is acquiring alarming proportions. Automatic suspension of any lawmaker or other holders of a public office who is incarcerated is the need of the hour, as a public servant stands suspended if in custody beyond 48 hours.

Lalit Bhardwaj, Panchkula

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Overhaul jails

Apropos of ‘Gangsters clash in jail’, Punjab jails have become a haven for criminals. Frequent seizure of mobiles phones and other banned items from high security jails is a matter of concern. Gangsters are running their network with the help of these phones, including carrying out killings, the latest being the murder of singer Moosewala. How are they running their operation from behind bars? Punjab jails, housing dreaded terrorists and drug smugglers, are no longer ‘sudhar ghars’ but dens of criminals. The government must undertake a complete overhaul of the present jail management system in Punjab.

Anil Vinayak, Amritsar

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Income tax portal

The income tax departmental procedural portal was closed on May 31, 2021, for a week, with an assurance of a better, taxpayer-friendly, portal on June 5. The taxpayers were given to understand that the returns would be processed in a day and the refunds credited immediately. Unfortunately, that has not happened. The returns which have no tax payable or have no refund are processed in a few days, but the returns with big refunds are held up. Income tax officers coerce assessees to pay enhanced advance tax to meet their assigned revenue targets, but at the time of issuing refunds the parentages change. Many times, a message flashes that there is a mistake in the computation of income, while there is none. Certain return and other forms whose due dates of filing are coming closer have not been notified yet. The new software developer has not been able to deliver.

AK JOSHI, AMRITSAR

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Domestic gas prices

Refer to the encouraging reports indicating that the ATF price has been cut by 1.3% alongside commercial LPG per 19-kg cylinder rate by Rs 135, following the softening of the global brent crude prices; but how come that the government thought it wise to continue with its extant price level of Rs 1,003 per 14.2-kg domestic cylinder, which has astronomically risen by Rs 193.5 since April 2021? One hopes that it soon provides much-needed relief for domestic LPG users too.

Kumar Gupt, by mail

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Handwritten letters

Apropos of ‘Snail mail had its appeal’, the middle reminded me of 1992 when I was posted at Srinagar and relied on snail post. The efforts entailed in ensuring its delivery at a remote place definitely had an inexplicable charm. It kept ones hopes and expectations alive and also developed the virtue of patience. There was tremendous joy in letter writing. Now, it is becoming a relic of the past, due to the advent of technology providing instant connect. The emotional connect is missing in today’s mode of communication. The written letters became a prized possession to be read later too. When I used to leave for Srinagar, my wife used to stay at Gurdaspur with her parents. There used to be a delay of a week or two weeks in the receipt of the first communication confirming my safe arrival. I intentionally used to delay reading the letters received to sustain the suspense and charm of the contents. Thanks to our formidable India Post for keeping us connected with our near and dear ones.

RAVI SHARMA, DHARIWAL

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Letters to the Editor, typed in double space, should not exceed the 200-word limit. These should be cogently written and can be sent by e-mail to: [email protected]