Urban mess

The article “Resources for urban India” ( Business Line , March 23) paints a grim picture of towns and cities, with irrefutable facts and figures. Even without going through such details, no one can escape the filth that is accumulating around us.

It is obvious that hygiene is nobody's concern. People have been allowed to settle in large numbers in the vicinity of areas that were used as waste dumps for decades and, now, they agitate against dumping waste in these yards. Politicians, ever hungry for votes, always support the wrong parties in such disputes.

The roads are dug up as soon as they are resurfaced by one or the other utilities. We permit production of vehicles with no thought of road space requirements. We encourage people to opt for private transport by not running an efficient and reliable public transport. The Government, comprising politicians and bureaucrats, has made a mess of urban planning. Will wisdom dawn some day and will we go in for professional advice in matters concerning urban planning?

Let us remember that today's shining, ultra-modern Singapore was very different 50 years ago. Surely we can learn from its experience? Time is of the essence and the earlier we wake up, the better!

C. V. Krishnakumar

Secunderabad

Double-speak on reforms

The introduction of the Banking Laws (Amendments) Bill 2011 in the Lok Sabha on March 22 was a move by the UPA Government in its pursuit of the neo-liberal agenda. The double-speak of the powers-that-be on their reforms programme is best revealed in the banking sector where they prescribe consolidation and expansion simultaneously. Whereas the entry of foreign and inland private players into banking is favoured, the call for merger of public sector banks continues. The impact of the global financial crisis was, by and large, warded off by public ownership of the financial institutions in India.

It is disturbing that the lessons from the fall of banks in the West are not learnt. The proposed amendments allowing free play to mega investors, directors and the corporate houses signal grave challenges to the confidence and trust of the multitude of ordinary depositors and common public.

S. V. Venugopalan

Chennai

Smaller, lighter coins

Coins of 25 paise and lower denomination are being withdrawn from July 1, 2011. In the present era of high inflation, small change has lost relevance. Coins of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 25 paise have died a natural death! Even a 50 paise-coin is shunned in the metros.

Since heavy coins make the pocket/purse heavy, we could have smaller and lighter coins for Re 1 and Rs 2,5 and 10. Even new coins of Rs 20, 50 and 100 could be issued. Reducing the size of coins cuts minting cost while promoting convenience in carrying such coins.

Also, in financial transactions, cash memos/bills/invoices and accounting work, it must be rounded off to the rupee for obvious reasons.

Mahesh Kapasi

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Decentralise planning

The observations of CAG in the report on the three flagship projects of the Indian Navy, should be an eye-opener for the government on the need for decentralising planning and putting in place proper systems that ensure concurrent monitoring and evaluation of projects right from the conceptual stage to take-off. One major contributor to the present state of affairs is the reluctance of the Centre and central leaderships of political parties to decentralise and delegate responsibilities.

This is partly a legacy inherited from the British in India, when the man in Delhi wanted to ensure that nothing moved without his knowledge and every rupee that goes out or comes in moves with his consent.

Such an approach would have been acceptable till, say, early 1960's when public and private expenditure were not large and were not growing in geometric proportions as is the case now and dimensions of corruption or impact of delays were not as alarming.

For any change to be possible, the Opposition has to abandon its present approach of ‘just opposing' and play a proactive role in finding solutions for problems facing the country. For once, the government and the Opposition should sit together and ponder over what can be done to restore rule of law by putting in place regulatory systems that will make government departments/organisations and players in the private sector respect the law of the land and fall in line with the policies laid down by the government of the day.

M. G. Warrier Thiruvananthapuram

Power of numbers

We need to leverage the power of numbers. The Railways should act as a bridge between cities and states and play a major role in intra-tourism by providing good facilities at lower cost by taking advantage of ‘numbers'.

The Railway Budget has become an exercise in politics, no more economic calculations of cost and profit, infrastructure and facilities.

If rail travel is made comfortable, secure, and clean, no one would like to travel on roads. While the online reservation system, a project of the Railways, is successful and much-talked about, why cannot the Railways function efficiently?

S. A. S. Sarma

Healthy move

While the roll-back of health tax ( Business Line , March 23) is welcome, it is distressing to be reminded time and again that people who are formulating the policies, laws, taxation, governance, are far removed from the ground reality.

They only need to visit any of the large hospitals to see the misery of the people, before reflecting on their proposal.

Ashok Bhat

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