Reducing number of seats

Reducing number of seats
To be able to accommodate the maximum number of commuters in the local train, it has been planned by Railways to reduce the seats in the local trains (‘WR plans to reduce seats for increased standing capacity’, March 7). The Railways has tried its best to ply maximum local trains to ease the traffic at peak hours. Still the commuters have failed to get the required ease. Now the Railways is on track to minimise the number of seats, so that more commuters could be accommodated. But the local trains have no longer remained local. Now we have peak-hour trains running beyond Virar, Karjat and Kasara. We do expect some sort of relief but not at the cost of seats. On an average, the commuters have to travel 30 to 40 minutes and it is not easy to do so standing.
—Bhavesh Jani, via email

II
This is with reference to ‘WR plans to reduce seats for increased standing capacity’. There has been a steady increase in the number of people who commute by trains, which has made travelling a nightmare. Peak hours are dreaded hours to travel. Reducing the seating capacity to accommodate more people is a welcome idea. In the peak hours, one has to miss many trains just to get a foothold in the compartment. Thus providing more standing capacity would definitely help people reach their destination in time. The Railways must go ahead with this plan, as there will be still sufficient seating capacity which should be primarily be used for old people and women.
—Ashok Goswami, Mumbai

Publish share prices
I am regular reader of DNA since its publication started few years back. The reason I am such a regular reader are the share prices which used to be published full page in DNA.Money. Recently I observed that instead of the share prices, mutual fund NAVs are published. The share business activities are much larger than mutual fund, so I am most upset with such developments. Few years back, DNA used to publish share and mutual fund prices on a daily basis. I sincerely request DNA editors to reconsider their decision, and start publishing share prices on daily basis.
—NR Chavan, via email

SC reprimand
It is sad that Supreme Court has to reprimand the government almost every week on some matter or the other. This is the first time that the highest court has to take the government of the day to task for not doing its job properly and honestly. If the PM and his team do their job, there is no need for SC’s intervention and consequent conjectures. This would also allow the SC to concentrate on pending cases.
—Yash P Verma, Pune

Cong-DMK split
Apropos ‘2G spin in DMK  threats; it ministers to quit today’ (March 7), the DMK, despite being a coalition partner in the union government used to get away in the past by pushing Congress into a corner. The CPM, which gave outside support to the Congress-led coalition during UPA-1, too indulged in similar tactics, but based more on its rigid ideology. But DMK’s move has come as a blessing in disguise for the Congress. For DMK there is nothing to lose at the Centre as they have already indulged in maximum loot. Further prospect of loot on similar scale in the immediate future is bleak, considering the hue and cry by the public, the media and the judiciary and CBI scrutiny.
—JVR Gopal, Navi Mumbai  

Weed out corruption
The point made in ‘If PJ Thomas can’t, so can’t lawmakers’, (March 7) made for an interesting read. Now that the Supreme Court has finally concluded that the institutional integrity will prevail, it is time to amend the Constitutional provisions that no charge-sheeted persons will qualify to contest in any forums of legislature, be at panchayat level, assembly level or the Parliament. Now perhaps a number of corrupt people may be weeded out on this score.   
—PM Gopalan, Mumbai