1) Smoother ride
The Nature’s fury should be countered by proper disaster management readiness. Mumbai needs proper cleaning of drainage system before the onset of monsoon and the use of plastic should be prevented totally so that it will not get stuck up in the drainage system and cause flooding in city roads. Thus, the roads are flooded with rainwater and we do not where the impending danger exists. Road work is incomplete and as in the past face many potholes and craters on the main road and it is a serious threat for road users. While walking across the roads, we encounter potholes and craters. Then the position of drivers riding on these roads will be a pathetic one. More money is spent and futile exercises are taking place but the ultimate result is misery for road users. People expect a smoother ride in the days to come.
– Jayanthy S. Maniam
2) Money recovered from former UP CM not enough
It refers to media-reports that UP government may take steps to recover Rs 5.84 lakhs from former state chief minister Akhilesh Yadav towards the cost of damages done to the government bungalow while vacating it. The bungalow was self-gifted to himself in his capacity as former state chief minister but was forced to vacate subsequent to a Supreme Court order. But media reports also indicate that Rs 4.5 crores were spent from public-exchequer on illegal construction in the bungalow. UP government should not only take steps to recover this amount also, but also take criminal action against him for such illegal spent from public-exchequer. Exemplary penalty at least equivalent to illegal spent and damage to property can also be imposed as a deterrent against wrongdoings by others.
The UP government can even approach the Apex Court for recovery of market rent from all those former state Chief Ministers who enjoyed the super-luxury comfort of government bungalows by such self-gifting later held unjustified by the Supreme Court.
– Subhash Chandra Agrawal
3) From playboy to PM, A dream come true for Imran Khan!
From a playboy to becoming the Prime Minister of Pakistan, it has been a dream come true for Imran Khan who was one of the best all-rounders the game of cricket has ever witnessed. The man who won Pakistan the world cup would now be seen in the hot chair rubbing shoulders with elite politicians the world over. Cricket was easy for the debonair Khan but politics is a different ball game than the balls he has handled in life. A shot in the arm for cricket though that somebody from this fraternity has become the PM and perhaps more cricketers should join politics and bring about the revolution in their country.
The king of the reverse swing and sultan of bowlers, Imran Khan has not been lucky in his marital life with a hat-trick of marriages but none that could last. Hope he is lucky in politics and wishing him good luck to not only completing his tenure as PM but also making efforts in bridging relations with India. His political mindset with Pakistan army backing him may disturb Delhi at the moment but Imran is known for his reverse swings and one hopes he works towards peace in the subcontinent!
– S.N.Kabra
4) Maratha stir
Maratha stir started peacefully turned out to be the violent one and the government machinery failed to arrest the mob lighting police vehicles and buses. It was a pathetic sight to watch with people being put to test. Now after all the happening Maharashtra Chief Minister was willing to have a meeting to defuse the situation. The commission report holds importance as it was specifically asked to give evidence of social and economical backwardness of the Marathas, and it will be submitted to the HC, which has stayed the 16 per cent reservation for them. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has called for an all-party meeting in the legislative building and this may silence the agitators for the time being but on a later date may press their claim for a better offer. The commission till now has received over 2.5 lakh petitions from Marathas and other communities. One of the major tasks for the panel is to establish the social backwardness of the Marathas. It has been doing a sample survey with five villages in every district and has so far completed work in Marathwada region, Nagpur, Amravati, and parts of western Maharashtra. Let us hope that better council will prevail to address the problem in the best way possible.
– Nikhil Krishnan
5) Enact powerful law against mob lynchers
After being criticised by the whole country, and being extremely opposed by the opposition, and after a strict order from the Supreme Court to enact a law upon mob violence and lynching eventually, the government set up two high-level panels to frame a new law on mob lynching. It is an admirable and praiseworthy decision of the government which should be taken long ago so that the huge number of victims of mob lynching would be saved. However, I appreciate the government for this great and a historic step. And hope and ask the government for enacting a powerful law that no one can dare to mob lynch anyone anywhere in any circumstances at any cost.
– Qeyamuddin
6) Cost cutting policies by airlines
Since every private airline-company in India except Jet Airways has discontinued serving free-of-cost meals, snacks, beverages etc in domestic flights as a cost-cutting measure to provide cheaper air-tickets, Air India should have also adopted the same practice long back. Rather all these private-airline companies started profiteering by selling food-items at prices much higher than normal market prices. Now Air India has decided to give boxes of low-cost peanuts etc instead of costly snacks but only in short-duration flights up to one hour.
Air India instead should totally do away with free-of-cost food in all its domestic flights, and follow most other private airliners to sell food-items as a cost-cutting measure to bring down heavy losses greatly hurting public-exchequer. It is a matter of concern that private airline-companies are minting money to regularly add to their fleets with new and latest aeroplanes, public-sector Air India, on the other hand, is regularly adding to its accumulated huge losses.
– Madhu Agrawal
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
