Fugitive questions

Port-able woes

• Your article ‘Mafia drops anchor in India’s largest port, cargo docked for days’ (October 22) made for shocking reading. How can we seriously think about globalisation when our ports are in such a pitiable state. I appeal to the prime minister to intervene and book the culprits before it is too late.

— Mohammed Faisal Riyadh

Sops for the cops

• Why is the UPA government so lenient with regard to officials who failed to discharge their law enforcement duties and took sides with politicians (‘Riot ghosts catch up, ex-top cop to be politely eased out of CBI’, IE, October 22)? Why cannot these officials be asked to retire? If stern action is not taken senior law enforcing officials will continue to side with politicians and manage promotions by way of punishment.

— R.K. Datta Nashik

Work on the jobs

• One can understand the enthusiasm of the ruling powers to announce populist schemes with no sincere intention to implement them (‘Job guarantee: Jairam says show me the money, Jayati says go print it’, IE, October 20). There is no shortage of excuses for failure to implement schemes and our great communist leaders are always more than willing to stall any people oriented programmes, tagging to them the anti-people label.

— Muralee On e-mail

Nature for sale

• Sauvik Chakraverti’s article implies that managing natural resources by using planning and governments is not good for a country (‘Veerappan as a respectable businessman’, IE, October 20). US President George W. Bush may have similar sentiments. Trees in forests, oil in Alaska, are often on his mind, to be released free for lumber and oil firms, so they can make profit. This profit will be invested in new companies, which will then create new jobs for the middle class, besides tax cuts given to the rich. That’s the theory. I hope we do not elect someone like Chakraverti as the new prime minister. India would in that case reverse its commitment to Fabian socialism.

— P. Jayachandran Worcester

Lonesome Aussies

• Nobody, except the Aussies, believes India is the final frontier. Other teams — like England and South Africa — have performed well in Test series in India. But in recent decades Australia have repeatedly failed. And last time, India fought well.

— V. Bineesh Bangalore