Letters to the editor: Team India’s fortunes

A vicious circle is complete
Our home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde’s prophesy that the people of this country will soon forget the ‘Coalgate’ has almost come true, at least in his home state of Maharashtra.

With the unravelling of the Rs70,000-crore irrigation scam in Maharashtra and the reluctance of his party’s own chief minister in getting to the bottom of it, the common man will indeed forget the earlier scams. He will also lose faith in politicians and fair governance.

Despite all the rhetoric, grandstanding and the resignation drama, the people have understood the true colour of this self-styled netas. All political parties have been consistently shedding crocodile tears for the poor farmers of this state, but none want a serious probe into this huge scam. The misuse of public money and the corruption involved have indirectly caused a large number of farmer suicides in Maharashtra.

With the alleged involvement of the leader of the opposition party, BJP, in the scam, the vicious circle is complete. The irrigation scam is really turning out to be the ‘Watergate’ for NCP and the ruling Congress party in Maharashtra with the principal opposition party BJP also having a lot to explain.
—Guruvayurappan K, Navi Mumbai

Poor middle class
Apropos of ‘To woo aam admi, UPA govt extends BPL schemes’  (Sep 27), Rahul Gandhi’s concern towards the common man who  do not come under the ambit of BPL category is commendable. While one appreciates his interaction with the prime minister to address the trials and tribulations faced by the aam admi, he should not confine himself to just gimmicks for electoral gains. It is the lower middle class which is battered as they have to bear the brunt of the increasing prices of essential commodities going through the roof. The middle class is suspended in between: neither can they catch up with the affluent class nor are they fortunate enough to get benefits from the government schemes.
—HP Murali, Bangalore 

LPG cylinder prices
For the first three LPG cylinders ordered in the remaining six months of the current financial year, household users will have to pay the old subsidised rate of Rs.423. But thereafter, for each cylinder, the market price of Rs767 will apply. Besides the domestic and commercial groupings, a new category — non-domestic exempted users — has been carved out which will include schools, hospitals and charities. These institutions too will get three subsidised cylinders till the end of this fiscal at Rs.423. But thereafter, they will have to pay a market price of Rs958 per cylinder.

The cost of a commercial cylinder will touch Rs1,400. With the increase in prices of the cylinders, the housewives will surely feel the pinch and it will be difficult to manage within one’s budget. Also, the hoteliers will hike the prices of eatables making life tougher for one and all.
—S.Ramaniam, Navi Mumbai  

Team India’s fortunes
Time and again we find the print media talking highly about Team India, but the team appears to be in tatters when the matches meant  to be won are lost.

After the tour of West Indies and after beating the Caribbean side at home, the press made a hue and cry saying that we have the best batting line-up and our bench strength is good too. But when they toured England and Australia, Team India came a cropper. Likewise, after a good show with the ball we say that there is strength in our bowling. However, our bowling is so weak that we perennially have to fall back on home matches to save us the blushes.

The TV channels praised the team after their performance against England in the ongoing World T20, but the overall standard is not up to the international mark. It was only because we had a  170-plus score, we could exert pressure on England. But things will not be easy when Team India faces stiff opposition in Australia, Pakistan and South Africa. How Team India will perform at the highest level is still a million dollar question.
—Subbu Jayant, Navi Mumbai

Body in trolly bag
This has reference to ‘Woman’s body found in trolly bag at CST’ (Sep 27). The body of a young woman inside an abandoned trolley bag at CST suggests that railway stations are being used to dump human bodies. There is no concrete proof to check the belongings of the train travellers.

Even the CCTV cameras did not provide a clear picture and thus the police cannot get a conclusive evidence or identify the person responsible for the murder. Woman from other states or cities are targeted and dumped in train compartments or station platforms. Since there is no full-proof system with the railways to prevent such cases miscreants take advantage of it.
—Calicut Krishnan, Navi Mumbai

CR trains
I was happy to read that the Central Railway will be adding extra coaches on the trains to accommodate 300 more passengers. This is  indeed a good move. The Central Railway should also add more coaches on suburban trains and convert some of the 12-coach trains into 15-coach ones. It would do well to increase the number of fast services with limited halts between Karjat, Kasara and Kalyan.

There is a need to introduce trains from Kurla station to Dahanu Road and Panvel (via Diva). Similarly, Panvel-Thane suburban trains could be extended to Kurla. We look forward for the Central Railway’s support in making the journey of the commuters more pleasant.
—CP D’Souza, Mumbai

Going vertical
This has reference to ‘Going vertical with a vengeance’ (Sep 27). The city of Mumbai is developed on five main islands and it is an earthquake-prone area. God forbid, but in case of a quake, the loss of life and damage to property will be huge. Under such circumstances, more space is required around the skyscrapers for rescue and relief operations. The civic authorities should make sure that whatever open space is left in the city should be left as they are for the convenience of the citizens.
—Kumar, Mumbai