The birth of Telangana makes it clear there is nothing sacrosanct about state boundaries and they can be redrawn if the occasion arises. It also drives home the point that linguistic homogeneity is no guarantee to hold people speaking the same language together, overriding economic, social and cultural factors. The formation of Telangana as the country’s 29th state is an inevitable consequence of the region’s long-standing sense of separateness and uniqueness.

As a relatively smaller state, Telangana can be administered with greater people’s participation by devolving powers, and ‘replenished’ after years of neglect, with its forest and mineral wealth. The new state must shed its ‘historical baggage’, sort out outstanding issues like sharing water and power resources, and division of the bureaucracy in an amicable and mutually beneficial manner and maintain good ‘neighbourly’ relations with Seemandhra.

G David Milton

Kanyakumari

Workable wage system

With reference to “A memo for Mazdoor No 1” (June 3) by Tulsi Jayakumar, the introduction of a completely variable, profit-based wage system for workers at macro level is likely to be resisted by national trade unions. Workers are already assured a share of company profit under the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965 in addition to fixed wages. Workers will not accept a flexible wage model in which the risks of profit are not substantially controlled by them. Moreover, workers find it difficult to follow a plan if the pay fluctuates. Maybe the model can be tried at the micro level depending on the degree of trust between the management and the trade union.

YG Chouksey

Pune

Well said

“Mother in love” by Penny Macrae (June 3) is a tribute to well-meaning mothers-in-law. A cordial relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is the best thing that can happen in any family. It all boils down to treating the other the way you wanted to be treated. The joke goes that Eden was called paradise as Eve had no mother-in-law or daughter-in-law.

CG Kuriakose

Kothamangalam, Kerala

Stop being negative

This is with reference to “ ‘Development’ leaves Muslims out” by Tanweer Fazal (June 3). The problems are mainly due to the negative attitude of the people and huge disparities in the economy. The Government has been lethargic in its attempts to enrol minorities in schools and generate rural employment. Wasteful expenditure on social welfare should be curbed. We need to halt reverse polarisation by which ‘caste’, ‘community’ and ‘minority’ are wrongly utilised just for partisan politics. Permanent change and growth are essential.

TV Jayaprakash

Palakkad

Sheer waste

This is in connection with “A hundred dysfunctional cities” by Narendar Pani (June 3). Three decades back a report of the urban ministry had called for the development towns like Gwalior and Kolhapur. Yet for years Mumbai has been envisioned as an international financial centre while these cities languish. Tamil Nadu has plans to make Chennai a mega city by annexing a few adjacent districts, but the plans have fallen through because they were viewed simply as profitable real estate propositions.

While China is building three under-sea tunnels (rail, road, and for maintenance) for 76 miles, Mumbaikars are not able to get even a road-cum-rail bridge linking Nava Sheva with Sewree. Yet ministers talk fancifully of introducing steamer-hovercraft service. Worse, there’s talk of water transport between Borivili and Nariman Point with stations hosting bars and restaurants whereas building roads in the congested areas leading to the seashore is a nightmare. The latest fad is a major money-guzzling sea reclamation project to build an express highway from Borivli to Colaba.

S Subramanyan

Navi Mumbai

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