Letters to the editor

Letters to the editor

RTE helpline
It was good to read that a group of jurists have started a helpline to ensure the admission of poor students in private schools under the Right to Education Act (‘Now, a helpline for admissions of poor kids in pvt schools’, January 4). While the best medium for an awareness program is through word of mouth, the print media, particularly vernacular papers, should publicise this helpline by periodically publishing the helpline number especially before the academic session that starts in June.
—PM Gopalan, Mumbai

Toilets for women
The lack of toilet facilities for women is in focus now thanks to the efforts of minister Varsha Gaekwad. However, the lack of toilets is also a problem for men who resort to relieving themselves in the open, making our streets an open toilet. Many public buildings including government offices and banks do not provide Western toilets either, inconveniencing senior citizens. The toilet facility in the city’s international airport is woefully inadequate too. A visitor at one end of the building has to walk to the other end to use it. In this context, it may be appropriate to recall a news report a few months ago of an experiment being conducted in Australia of a device, consisting of a cup with a small tube attached to it, which enables women to pee standing like men. The main objective of this exercise was stated to be to save space needed to build ladies’ toilets. It will be worthwhile to try this
here too.
—A G Ramasubramanian,
via email

Dirty politics
This refers to the report ‘BJP rewards BSP cast offs’ (January 4). The BJP, even if it has ever been so, is no longer the “party with a difference”. With Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh in the offing, the BJP and other parties are welcoming with open arms, tainted elements thrown out by their parties. In order to sign up winnable candidates, political parties are sacrificing probity in public life and sanctity of representative democracy. It is high time that the law is amended to restrict political parties from fielding as electoral candidates anyone who has not been an active and uninterrupted member of the party for the past three years i.e. more than half of the term of an elected House.
—MC Joshi, Lucknow

BMC polls
The opposition parties in the BMC have taken strong objection to Shiv Sena’s ‘Karun Dakhwala’ (We did it), electoral campaign by the ruling party and its working president. The opposition parties and its leaders should realise that if they want to claim credit for the achievements of the BMC they also have to take the blame for its failures and lapses. This is to bring to the notice of all concerned that the popular perception is that failures or lack of services far outweigh the perceived achievements. The main issue in this election will be ‘what has not been done’ rather than ‘what has been done’.
—Anil Bagarka, Mumbai

Caste or class?
After reading the analysis ‘Caste an offence to Constitution’ in DNA (December 26), I am of the opinion that present day politicians and bureaucrats are indirectly supporting the caste system in education, employment, elections, subsidies, etc. In India, there are only two classes - the haves and the have-nots. Actual subsidies should be given only to the have-nots based on their family income and not on caste. Today vote banks are promoting the caste system, caste hatred and therefore there is no improvement in the field of education, employment and healthcare.
—NBH Kulkarni, via email

Dismiss the General
The controversy over the army chief’s age turns uglier by the day. Now the relationship between the General and the Defence Ministry is being compared to the Indo-Pak relationship. But is it the Defence Ministry that is treating the General as a Pakistani or is it the General who thinks he is facing a Pakistani enemy in the form of the Defence Ministry? In any other country, such a General would have been summarily dismissed from service. I haven’t read any newspaper or TV channel highlighting this General’s contribution to the Indian Army other than the controversy of his age. All he wants is a particular date of birth at joining the forces and another at the time of retiring. Well-done General!
—Gilbert D’Souza, Bangalore
Mullaperiyar mess
This refers to the news report ‘Now, Kerala wants to wriggle out of Mullaperiyar issue’ (January 4). The areas of the reservoir land, reclai

med when the water level in the dam was lowered from 152 feet to the present 136 feet in 1979, have been encroached by the ‘land mafia’ to build resort houses. This has been done in connivance with successive governments of Kerala. They created the bogey of ‘dam burst’ only to divert attention from this encroachment as well as to get more land for the ‘land mafia’.
—VM Swaraj, Chennai