Vox Populi

Dumping ground mishap: Pay compensation to kin before handing out bravery awards
Last Sunday,seven persons died under the debris at the Sector-31 dumping ground. The detail whether the mishap was the fault of the truck driver or mere misfortune as the soil below the truck caved in is now the subject of an official inquiry. But one fact that came to the fore during the crisis was the ineptitude of the authorities in search and rescue operations. Even as the recovered bodies were yet to be cremated and some of the pickers were still missing,UT officials started petting their backs about the fine job done and abandoned the rescue operation on Sunday. The next day,two more bodies were recovered from the debris.

Now,it is most essential to ensured that bravery awards to the rescue teams should not be given before compensation is paid to the kin of the deceased. As it is,the poor families will not get more than Rs 50,000 or 1 lakh as compensation and that too (most probably) after lot of harassment and red-tapeism. At this hour,we need at least one leader who can stand with people and fight for their rights and dignity.

R K Garg
Chandigarh

Set up marriage commission to curb wedding extravagance
According to news reports,nearly 3,000 marriages are going to be solemnised within a week in December,in the tricity alone. This has created a golden opportunity for wedding places,religious ritualists,catering and allied business (band,tent,florists etc) to mint money. This is perhaps the only occasion where merry match-makers won’t complain of ‘RECESSION’ and willingly empty out their pockets,even as the prices of essential goods skyrocket for commoners like you and me. Also,there has been an addition to the wedding festivities lately — firing shots in the air along the baraat’s route,which proves to be an eerie reminder of terrorism.

To check such undesirable traits in our society,I plead that a marriage commission be set up on the lines of the election commission,bridled with high powers to curb extravagance in such rituals,regulate them by proper registrations and ensure pre-marriages medical tests to prevent AIDS.

Tilak Laroiya
Mohali