Letters To The Editor

The power crisis in the Capital has led to the government belatedly waking up to ground realities.

Power-less future?

8226; The power crisis in the Capital has led to the government belatedly waking up to ground realities. Now the Supreme Court has to intervene in an issue that is fully within the ambit of the administration. Mumbai, too, has been facing a similar hardship for quite a long period. There is hardly any scope for the country to feel optimistic about the power situation, when the peak time shortage is 15-20 per cent and energy supply is lower by nearly 10 per cent. A synchronised, four-point approach is called for: one, new capacity addition as planned without a slip; two, better operation and maintenance to raise productivity to 80 per cent in generation, transmission and distribution; three, network expansion 8212; from the surplus to the deficit areas for uninterrupted power flow; and four, conservation of energy.

8212; C.R. Bhattacharjee, Kolkata

The right way

8226; Our founding fathers had very wisely made reservations for SCs/STs applicable only for ten years, taking into consideration the prevailing socio-economic conditions across the country. With the advent of science and technology, particularly after we have entered the 21st century, the concept of traditional reservations does not hold good any longer.

The criteria of merit, competence and standards should not be compromised at all if we want to have really talented professionals. The government should help OBCs by giving them scholarships once they get admission into institutions of higher learning on the basis of merit.

8212; S.K. Khosla, Chandigarh

It8217;s inhuman

8226; Forcing four-year-old Budhia Singh to run from Puri to Bhubaneshwar 8212; a distance of 65 km 8212; in seven hours might have made for sensational news, but the boy8217;s coach, Biranchi Das, must answer a few questions 8216;Our Roman holiday with Budhia8217;, IE, May 8. Is it humane to strain his young limbs beyond limit in the name of promoting sports? Is it not exploitation of a poor kid, even granting that he possesses extraordinary stamina?

8212; N. Radhakrishnan, Chennai

Music magic

8226; The Indian film industry has lost one of its greatest composers in Naushad Ali Saheb. In the age of the re-mix, where the repeat value of a song and its composer is that of a leaf on a tree, his evergreen compositions from Mughal-E-Azam, Baiju Bawra, Kohinoor, Mother India, Dil Diya Dard Liya, and so on, still resonate in our ears.

At the pinnacle of his career that lasted for more than two decades, the great trio 8212; lyricist Shakeel Badayani Saha, singer Mohammed Rafi Saheb and composer Naushad

Ali Saheb 8212; created sheer magic.

8212; Yasmin Banu, Abu Dhabi

Only God knows

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8226; A few astrologers have predicted the next chief minister of Tamil Nadu. These astrologers have not taken into account the horoscope of the state. God alone knows who will ruin it this time!

8212; S.R. Karunganni, Chennai