Wednesday, February 29, 2012

thoughts for change

We don’t want another Bhopal
This has reference to ‘Kundankulam’s lurking dangers’ (February 28). Far away from Kundankulam and curious enough to know the ground reality has left me in a dilemma of whom to trust: the prime minister’s version of sabotage by NGOs funded from abroad or the study by government panels and experts which has been brought to light by the vigilant DNA investigation team. Numerous scams under the prime minister have tarnished his creditability. The new revelations of near-shore tsunami, volcanic eruptions and Karst by expert groups call for a re-discussion and analysis by the Centre and Department of Atomic Energy. There should be no hurry when the people’s lives are at stake. We don’t want another Bhopal. I hope the Centre does not remain adamant on its stand.
—Sangharsh Satpathy

II
The anti-nuclear group, apart from being funded from abroad, is certainly guided by the international greens in twisting facts and basic logic. In an international journal they recently published that 14,000 people died in the US due to Fukushima. They simply took the death rate in the US 14 weeks after Fukushima and compared it with the figures in the previous 14 weeks and concluded that all this happened due to Fukuhima radioactivity landing in the US. This is contrary to cause-effect principle, as all their arguments are. The journal concerned has long been discredited in the US as one “devoted to publishing news outside its area of expertise and supporting its own views”. In one of their handouts, they even used a software not easily available outside the US to carry out a skewed analysis of the data published by DAE. Some health impact surveys carried out by the group in India in a skewed manner are guided by their handlers abroad. They use all sorts of skewed statistics, twisting scientific facts to mischievously prove their points. In spite of the Tamil Nadu chief minister testifying that no earthquakes of consequence are possible in the region, they continue to scare people stating that if an earthquake happens at Kudankulam, 15 lakh people would have to be evacuated. Are they reflecting the concerns of the people or acting as concern generators? They have selfish interests inimical to the society. How long the country is going to tolerate these people?
—Dr MR Iyer

Save our rivers
Your February 28 issue had three interesting items. First, a cartoon showing the prime minister asking for the next direction from the Supreme Court; second, the Supreme Court asking the government what action it is taking to clean up Yamuna, and third, proper implementation of interlinking the rivers. The prime minister should first and foremost protect and clean up our rivers. Unless we do this basic thing, there is no point interlinking them as the process will add to the water sharing problems between the states. The way we treat our rivers, the day is not too far when they will dry up. The interlinking will then be nothing but a national floodwater drain.
—Chandramohan Nair

Good luck at London
London Ho! Sydney No’ (February 27) was an interesting read and the 8-1 win over France in the final qualifier for the London Olympics could not have come at a better time when the Indian cricket team is taking a beating Down Under. It is heartening to note that there is a renaissance in Indian hockey now with players like Sandeep Singh taking lead. One remembers that India won the hockey gold at consecutive Olympics, Pakistan being only a contender in those years. The time has come for the country to dump the over-confident cricketers and patronise hockey. The penalty-corner expert of olden days, Prithipal Singh, seems to have been reborn in the form of Sandeep Singh. Good luck to Sandeep in London.
—DR V Subramanyan

II
India has befittingly qualified for the hockey event in London Olympics. In a not so star-studded line-up, India were expected to triumph and they did so with style. They had beaten France in the league game and bettered their performance in the final. The margin of the victory indicates the supremacy of India over their less fancied rivals. Sandeep Singh excelled in the finals and Indian hockey fans expect more from him in the London Games. Coach Michael Nobbs has passed an acid test and he has more to do for the team in London. Home advantage will not be there for the team in England and every move of theirs will be tested by their European counterparts. Stamina has often been held against the team, especially on astro turf, and India has to be fully geared up for this challenge. Having won the qualifiers, India should not allow complacency to creep in and must play to their full potential. The unity and strength displayed by the team in Delhi will have to be continued and they have our support.
—Ganapathi Bhat





Published Date:  Feb 29, 2012

No comments:

Post a Comment