Sero-surveys

Apropos of the editorial ‘Herd immunity’ (Aug 22), a serology test can detect if a person has antibodies to SARS-Cov-2 and can help identify people who have been infected. Antibodies are produced over days to weeks after infection. Serology enables us to understand the occurrence of infection. But the WHO has clarified that even if sero-surveys reach up to 50 per cent, vaccine is the only treatment. A Noida doctor tested positive again, 45 days after recovering from the first bout of infection. Seroprevalance surveys are only an indicator.

Yash Pal Ralhan, Jalandhar

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Toothless PMC

The report ‘Medical council used as a milking cow, claims chief’ (Aug 21) presents a dangerous situation, where the chief of the PMC feels humiliated and has to seek the CM’s intervention. The PMC has increasingly been considered as a body responsible for only the registration of doctors and regulating conferences and CMEs and has miserably failed to curb quackery, act, protect and promote ethical and legal practices leading to progressive loss of faith and confidence of doctors, the administration as well the people at large. If any institution fails to justify its purpose, people in power will try to belittle the institution and its people. The PMC has failed to initiate any action against any one in Punjab, let alone a local medical college for unethical and illegal practices.

Vitull K Gupta, by mail

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Religion column in forms

Apropos of ‘When no faith matters enough’ (Aug 22), both my sons are married to Christian girls. My grandchildren find themselves in this dilemma every time someone asks them their religion. They faced the same dilemma while filling the school admission form that carried a column of religion. There is a need to do away with this column from all government forms, or include another class of religion as ‘liberal or secular’. Elsewhere in the article, the writer has counted the blessings of the lockdown. But, the blessings have come at a great cost.

Lt Col GS Bedi (retd), Mohali

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Identity fraud

‘Standard system needed to check identity fraud’ (Aug 21) is timely and eye-opening. The authorities must take note of it. Had the identity of ‘XY’ been checked through the Registrar of Births and Deaths, such types of fraud could have been eliminated. Why should there be a delay in recording births and deaths? The onus should be on the authorities instead of an individual. Secondly, not only the date of birth and names are wantonly changed by a state through its gazette without getting clearance from the Registrar of Births and Deaths, another fraud is being committed under the heading ‘Change of religion’. Why should a secular state take upon itself to notify this change in its gazette?

Prem kumar, by mail

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Waterlogged streets

Every year, there is a chronic problem of long duration of waterlogging in towns, yet no serious action is taken to find the reasons behind waterlogging. Due to rapid urbanisation, construction has been allowed in the areas which are potential spots to drain out rainwater. The other reason is the choked or inefficient stormwater drains which stop the speedy runoff flow. Also, rampant corruption in MCs is another reason. Serious action is required by the local authorities to find those responsible for this mess.

AK Bhatia, ex-Member, Haryana State environment Authority

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Exams on track

Refer to ‘JEE, NEET on schedule in Sept’, it is an appreciable decision by the authorities because the postponement of exams would have delayed the upcoming academic year. Results and counselling also take time. Those students who were filing petitions should now focus on studies. The government, on its part, should take strict measures as lakhs of students will be appearing in the exams and their safety is important.

Akshara Gurbani, Chandigarh

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Remembering Ramashray

The demise of Dr Ramashray Roy on August 12 has remained unreported in the media, despite the fact that he was a doyen of political science. A PhD from the University of California (Berkeley), Roy had been invited by eminent political scientist Rajni Kothari to join the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies as a Fellow in 1963. He had served as the Director of Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi. Roy had been a Visiting Fellow at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla. Although he had been a prolific writer, he is better known for the studies on 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2009 parliamentary elections, which he and Prof Paul Wallace of the University of Missouri, Columbia, had worked on for a book.

Ranbir Singh & Kushal Pal, Karnal

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