Always late

With reference to the editorial, ‘The wages of inefficiency’ (November 19), project cost over-runs come from a mixed parentage. Our ingrained PWD approach to evaluating and sanctioning projects are based on preliminary estimates of time and cost. To get the project through, both are under-estimated. Then comes financial oversight, which does not recognise the exigencies faced by the project administrator negotiating the critical path; he is given neither discretion nor powers to expedite matters. And where one does take the lead to cut down on time, the audit would later haul him up.

Cost escalations can happen, as markets by nature are unsteady. But time over-runs are inexcusable. This contributes to 80 per cent of additional project cost. The crux of good project execution lies in finding an able administrator and fully empowering him. The Kolkata Metro took 15 years to build, the one in Delhi, 4 years.

R Narayanan

Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh

Numerous government projects need to be overhauled. At a time when the Prime Minister has been actively seeking collaboration from the international communy to Make in India, the bundle of stalled projects would send out wrong signals.External factors pose a smaller threat toinfrastructure projects compared to internal factors such as land acquisition, environmental clearances, and law and order issues.

If the NDA government really wants its slogan of “less government more governance” to work, the chances of breaking the deadlock in the execution all projects are high.

S Lakshminarayayan

Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu

Clean habits

The Government’s initiative of constructing more toilets is laudable, but merely constructing more toilets is of no use if they are not going to be in a usable condition. Regular maintenance is important. Also, through hygiene education and regular awareness campaigns, people’s behaviour should be changed so that they use the toilets instead of relieving themselves in public.

TS Karthik

Chennai

Good gesture

Our Prime Minister’s offer of help to Fiji is heart warming. There is a good percentage of Indians in that country and it is our duty to go to their rescue, despite our multifarious problems. We cannot solve our problems in a day. It will happen only step by step.

CP Chandra Das

Arlington, USA

Fake spirituality

Self-styled ‘godmen’ exploit the gullibility and vulnerability of people from the lower social strata to build their empires. What kind of spirituality is practised in fortified ashrams of fake ‘godmen’ can be gauged by the militia roped in to guard them and their secrets. By resorting to conjuring tricks and creating the illusion of a hallowed ambience, they make would-be devotees believe they possess supernatural powers. They mesmerise and delude devotees, and and create a personality cult around themselves.

Dubious ashrams are an outgrowth of social inadequacies, ills and impurities and owe their existence to the lack of education as well as rational thought and the state’s failure to empower citizens to lead a normal life. By collecting offerings from the devotees, or, more precisely, fleecing them, these men amass wealth and live a lavish lifestyle. Sometimes they entice women to provide sexual gratification under the guise of ‘rejuvenation’. Their proximity to the political establishment makes them believe they are not constrained to abide by the law.

G David Milton

Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

It is unfortunate that the move to arrest Rampal, wanted in a contempt case, turned violent. His followers and private army have not distinguished themselves by daring to take on the police in a pitched battle. That the cops were targeted with petrol bombs, acid pouches, stones and even gunfire paints a scary picture. Rampal’s army of thugs and goons have the dubious distinction of going on similar sprees in the past. The police must bring him and his followers to heel.

NJ Ravi Chander

Bangalore

Highly deplorable

The mayhem created by Rampal’s followers is highly deplorable. Perhaps providing him Z category security, an unprecedented move, emboldened him to openly challenge the system and take the law into his hands. The behaviour of the Haryana police confirms why we need police reforms urgently.

Ettirankandath Krishnadas

Palakkad, Kerala

Sordid mess

Have been reading about and watching this sordid off-field cricket drama for over a year. One important player in all this is the sponsor. How come none of the TV debates have had a sponsor on the panel? There have been many scams in sport, but no sponsor has thought it fit to say it would opt out if matters were not sorted out. Where are they?

Ravi Shankar

Email

Multimedia maths class

It is learnt that the Tamil Nadu government is going to distribute multimedia content (in mathematics) to over 4,000 government high and higher secondary schools across the State to help children learn the subject faster. But technology is not a perfect substitute for teachers in classrooms. Maths is a subject that requires logical thinking. Many students hate the subject because of insipid teaching. Hence a judicious mix of two Ts (technology and teaching) can help children love the subject and learn it faster too.

S Ramakrishnasayee

Ranipet, Tamil Nadu

Wanted: ideas

‘Grand old, tired party’ by Poornima Joshi (November 19) more or less sums up the predicament of the Congress. The Jawaharlal Nehru Commemorative International Conference simply fizzled out. The party grievously erred in choosing/deciding not to invite the Prime Minister to the conference. What was intended as a slight to Narendra Modi (rather than to the Prime Minister) boomeranged. Here too, the intended target has become a gainer.

The present discomfiture of the party is that it is unable to read the pulse of the young generation. They want growth and development along with better livelihood. Congressmen must think beyond the Nehru-Gandhi clan and rework their strategies and fine-tune their agenda.

As John F Kennedy said, “Change is the law of life. And those who look to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” By imbibing the words of Mahatma Gandhi, it may be said that every Congressperson must be the change he/she wishes to see in his/her party.

CG Kuriakose

Kothamangalam, Kerala

Measuring efficiency

This refers to your edit, ‘The wages of inefficiency’ (November 19). Unless we have some sort of accountability built into our administration, how can we expect to be executing projects in a efficient manner? Lapses might occur and losses with it, but what is the general trend and who is responsible for these delays and losses, should be fixed and a time line for every approval made a law. Setting time lines must be inculcated by our administration. We don’t measure costs and efficiency. For instance, how much do we spend to collect ₹100 rupees as tax? This is what we must look at and see how to reduce it and become more efficient in all government-led initiatives. Unless we measure efficiency in the right economic sense, how will we improve our execution capabilities?

CR Arun

Email

COMMENT NOW