Time to resign, PM

Time to resign, PM
Before the chorus for his resignation reaches a crescendo, it’s time for our PM to call it a day.

Howsoever justifiably logical and convincing, in the present scenario, no defence is likely to stand for a long time (‘PM denies bribe taint, BJP calls him a liar’, March 19). A constant stream of high-magnitude scams like CWG, 2G spectrum, Adarsh and cash-for-votes coming to light has already disappointed people no end, taking away the PM’s credibility. To salvage the last vestiges of his good image as a person, he should consider himself well-advised to resist the temptation of brazenly sticking on.
—KK Wajge, Mumbai

Building collapse
This is with reference to ‘Pydhonie bldg residents to pay for redevelopment’, (March 19).While expressing grief for death of 5 residents, I find the demand of the tenants for ‘compensation’ from government unjustified .They claim it is their ‘right’. Who has given them this right? It is a matter between the landlord and tenants. The tenants should claim compensation from landlord. Why should the public funds be spent on this demand? The residents have been enjoying rents at the rates applicable in 1948, while the market rent in the locality has  increased by over 100 times now. They pay a pittance as property tax to the BMC, though they get better civic services than suburban residents. It is high time government stops pampering residents of tenanted buildings by forcing the landlords to give them free flats on ownership, high FSI of 4.5 for redevelopment, and similar benefits.
—RR Shenoy, via email

II
Like in the automobile industry where there is compulsory phasing out of vehicles beyond a certain age; Mumbai too should adopt such a policy wherein, compulsorily, buildings more than 30-40 years should be redeveloped (‘Pydhonie bldg residents to pay for redevelopment’, March 19). There should be simple guidelines of dos and don’ts for the BMC, builders, landlords and tenants/residents clearly outlined; so as to avoid any abuse/fraud. We have heard of cases of delays in possession by builders, delay in getting BMC approvals and so on. This will help in improving safety standards and also the skyline of Mumbai, which is a study in contrast: on one hand there are beautiful glass and steel structures and next to it we have dilapidated, colourless old buildings.
—Sagar Tanna, via email

Buck up, Dhoni
MS Dhoni has three days before his team takes on Australia for the semi-final berth (India beats Windies; Australia next’, March 21). What is worrying is the form of the bowlers and the batsmen, especially Dhoni. The openers might not click always and the middle order might crumble but a captain’s responsibility is not just limited to winning the toss; he has to rescue his team from dumps whenever required. Sadly, this has not been seen in India’s case so far. The going gets tougher now, only the tough will win the day. Dhoni must pull up his act and reassert himself as a captain and a saviour.
—Kaushik Das Gupta, Mumbai

Improve the system
The system for applying and issuing of Indian passport needs to be improved. We are still far away from working effectively. People prefer to go the agents rather than stand in a long queue. When I went to submit my application for a new passport, I noticed that people were standing in line from 5am and the office started at 10am. The queue went on increasing and after waiting for two hours I was taken aback to find that I still needed to produce some documents for address proof. What sort of a system is this where I have to stand for hours to submit my application for new passport? Will the government simplify the procedure? There were not many staff at the counter although there were many windows. 
—Sameer Joshi, via email