Stop and shop

Stop and shop
The edit ‘One stop shop’, (DNA, July 8), presents Hobson’s choice for the government.  Local kirana shops have survived because of their home delivery service and the convenience of keeping small bits of grocery which we require not too often. There is sizable section of society who likes to buy their daily requirements and cannot afford to shop from malls once in a month.
—Ashok Goswami, Mumbai

Shameful state of affairs
This is with reference to ‘Dishonesty to the fore’ (DNA, July 6), while explaining the reasons why the writer was both impressed and amused by reactions to Karnataka Lok Ayukta Santosh Hegde’s resignation. He has in fact highlighted the pathetic condition of our politics and governance. The scenario in which Hegde had to resign from his post tarnishes the image of the state’s ruling party. However, all parties whether ruling, or in opposition, are responsible for this state of affairs because it is common knowledge that politicians help one another to avoid actions which are likely to affect them all.
—Vasant Mohile, Thane

Phased out water cuts
It is heartening to read that the six lakes supplying drinking water to Mumbai are receiving substantial rainfall (‘No cuts if lakes get 3-4 lakh million litres by July 15’, DNA, July 5). In the civic corridors, there is a talk of withdrawing the present 15% water cut. However, a more practical approach would be to reduce the cut in a phased manner; eg 10% to continue up to mid-August, and 5% till the end of September. From October 2010, full supply can be restored when the lakes would have already reached their over-flow levels. This way, the citizens of the megapolis can be assured of uninterrupted supply till the onset of the next monsoon.
—Vineet Phadtare, via email

Being number one
To claim that the Maharashtra is the
number one state is being outlandish and over-ambitious (‘Maharashtra No 1, only needs marketing’, DNA, July 10). While it is true that this state has all the ingredients to prosper, however, I think it’s a misnomer. None of the hill stations have been developed to attract tourists in a big way despite being blessed with wonderful locations. Looking at the untapped potential, the state of infrastructure, scope for investment, obnoxiously high taxes, facilities for growth, level of education, how do you call such a state, lacking in all the core areas, as the number one state?
—Deepak Agharkar, via email