Vox Populi

Chandigarh

Maintain park properly
The municipal park in Sector 30-A (near Shiv Mandir) needs proper maintenance by the Horticulture department of the city’s civic body. Although this park has well laid-down pathways for walkers and is also widely used by the residents,several small plants along the pathway are drying up or have vanished due to improper care. Further,a good number of electrical poles are bereft of lighting arrangements. It is a different matter that electrical poles and small lighting devices installed to provide lights to pathways in the park remain “ illuminated” even during broad daylight. Also,there are cases of waterlogging often due to leakage of water from pipelines probably meant for the under construction “water showers” meant to beautify the park. There is also a need for proper cleaning of the park by ensuring regular removal of garbage from the bins (several bins are broken or non-existent) as also other waste and tree leaves strewn over its vast open area.

S K Gupta

Chandigarh

Bring about a change
Kudos to CN for unearthing the teacher recruitment scam of the Education department. For long,they have targeted private schools and brushed aside their own incompetencies as something minor and inconsequential. If the government schools maintained their standards,there would not be this indecent rush to private schools.

The gross negligence of these schools towards their students and parents is rarely reported because most belong to the lower-income group. The teaching methods are abysmal and the indifference of authorities borders on callousness. Horror stories of mockery and insult being doled out to students abound. It is time that a newspaper got serious and shook the department of its complacency. They have diverted public attention since long by focusing on private schools and they have been allowed to get away with it. Parents of students studying in government schools need some answers too. I do entreat you,however,not to restrict yourself to “scoops”. Do check into the state of the furniture,equipment (sports and otherwise),drinking water facility,books and uniforms of government schools,for which they get financed. If any newspaper can bring about a change,it is you.

Payal Saxena

Chandigarh

Bring out tourism booklets
The Mayawati government of Uttar Pradesh must be lauded for recently releasing colourful booklets in Punjabi and our national language Hindi (cover pages affixed with this letter) about places of tourist interest and those pertaining to visits of Sikh gurus in Uttar Pradesh. The UP government’s Tourism department has also brought out a booklet on Varanasi — a tourist spot of international fame.

The UT’s Tourism department has not brought out any booklet regarding places of tourist interest even in our national language Hindi,forget about the regional language,Punjabi. I would appeal to new administrator of Chandigarh ,Shivraj Patil,that he should give a direction to the head of Chandigarh Tourism department for releasing a booklet in Hindi as well as Punjabi regarding places of tourist interest in Chandigarh and on Rock Garden in public interest and for the promotion of tourism.

Narinder Singh

Chandigarh

Select committees should examine new legislations
The ongoing Budget session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha would last just for ten odd days,including the gazetted holidays. Since the last few years,the number of days on which the State Assembly functions is on the decline for the reasons best known to powers-that-be. Further,there has not been any winter session in Haryana in the recent years. Although a number of new legislations,as well as amendment Bills are on the anvil for passage in the current session,one would easily predict how much time would be devoted to discussion on each one as a sizeable time period would be spent on Budget discussion. The much awaited Haryana Urban (Regulation of Rent and Eviction) Bill,2010 is also slated to be tabled in this session. Unfortunately,there is no provision in the Haryana Assembly to refer a Bill to a Select Committee for due examination and report on lines of the Indian Parliament. Legislations are passed here without much discussion within minutes and sometimes even during boycott/absence of the Opposition. This hitherto prevalent practice merits substitution by earmarking allotment of certain specified period of time to discussion and debate on Bills,particularly those which affect the public at large. It would be wise if mechanism for constituting Select Committees for examining new legislations is put in place,as these would draw members from both treasury benches as well as Opposition parties. The Bills to be introduced in the upcoming session must be uploaded on the official website of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha for public scrutiny and also for inviting comments and objections,if any. The Hooda government must work out these modalities so that the system of Parliamentary democracy functions in a broader and true sense with active involvement of the civil society.

HEMANT KUMAR

Ambala

Parties demanding land should go to other states
The Haryana Congress chief,in a press conference,has demanded land at concessional rates for their HQ,claiming to have applied for the land in 1998. I think his demand for land at concessional rates is not keeping in view the current land prices. Land acquisition by the Chandigarh Administration is under fire and everybody is asking for enhanced compensation. As such,any allotment at concessional rates is ridiculous. The administration deserves praise as,in spite all pressures and pulls,they have resisted and offered land at prevalent rates. In his press conference,the Congress chief has failed to disclose the public purpose they are going to serve through this land. Moreover,these political parties are not short of money. Once Congress is allotted land at throwaway prices,all parties will come forward with more such demands. Since Chandigarh is already short of land,these parties should better go to adjoining states.

R K Garg

Chandigarh

Survey the top rung for eradicating corruption
A story goes that Nehru,the first Prime Minister of India,sought the advice of Lord Mountbatten,the first Governor General of independent India,for eradicating corruption. The Lord suggested adopting the method used for sweeping the stairs — starting at the top rung. It is surprising that this proven wisdom has been completely lost with the passage of time. Therefore,one finds it futile and meaningless that only the lower rung officials from government service,police and security forces are targeted by the CBI to bring them to the book. Even the media succumb to the temptation of highlighting a juicy story and miss questioning the role of senior ranks in not nailing the serious omissions in their respective departments to rule out the possibility of abetment of the omission. With corruption at a tipping point,it is a challenge to the conscience keepers of our nation like the CBI and other investigating agencies to start surveillance at the top rung and bring the senior officers to the book.

Col K D Pathak (Retd)

Chandigarh

Sector 46-C park uses foul-smelling water
I would like to draw the attention of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh towards the foul-smelling water being used for irrigating the park in Sector 46-C. Whenever the water taps are opened,a foul odour fills the park. It becomes very difficult to even breathe while people sit on the benches or walk on the pathways provided for the same. People come to the parks for getting fresh air. While some people visit the park early in the morning for exercising,the park remains more or less crowded in the evenings. Senior citizens suffer the most. The authorities should take a serious note of this issue and do the needful to ensure that there is fresh air in the parks and health of the people is not affected by the foul smell.

R K KAPOOR

Chandigarh