Contemptible behaviour

The demolition of 500 slum dwellings in a Delhi suburb by the Railways at dead of night is something that would seldom happen in a progressive civil society. This is no different from an ‘encounter’. Compare this with similar colonies that are ‘regularised’ before elections or with plush farmhouses built illegally on dubious plots. Syrian refugees have been treated with greater sympathy by the European nations. Answers must be sought for this thoughtless attitude towards our own citizens. We want poor labourers and artisans to build us a beautiful city but have no qualms treating their meagre dwellings with contempt.

R Narayanan

Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh

More misses than hits

With reference to the editorial, ‘The climate after Paris’ (December 14), as expected, this climate change agreement has more misses than hits. Unfortunately it does not have legally binding targets on finance or emissions cut. Developed countries are majorly responsible for the worsening changes in climate over the past decade or so. All countries need to take drastic measures to bring down GHG levels. The agreement could have been more ambitious in its target and the actions expected to be taken by the developed nations.

Bal Govind

Noida, Uttar Pradesh

The IMF has stated that the global fossil fuel industry is getting subsidies worth $5 trillion a year, including the clean up costs because of a thriving fossil fuel industry. What happened in Chennai is a negative externality; on whose shoulders are the costs of cleaning up and rebuilding Chennai? The fossil fuel industry was not made answerable at the Paris talks. The cost of cleaning up because of their businesses were not brought to the table.

Any business has to pay up to clean its waste; how can the fossil fuel industry be exempt? If the developed nations carry on with a business as usual attitude in handling their fossil fuel industry and will not provide technology transfer and the funds required to transform our economy to renewables, how is this climate justice?

CR Arun

Email

Some hope

This is with reference to ‘Economic growth and climate change’ by Anand G Mahindra and others (December 14). Inequity created due to high carbon emission in India has made the lives of many miserable. The poor living exposed to greenhouse gases are prone to diseases and are untreated. Workers entering mines are prone to accidents and are vulnerable to diseases.

India is nowhere close to China in terms of growth but the damage is immense because of the apathy towards the poor. Progress is entirely dependent on carbon energy. If this is kept under check, it would be possible to create equity. The assurances given by the corporate legends is heartening.

RK Arya

Faridabad, Haryana

Curious case

Perhaps this is the first time a democratically elected chief minister has been barred from attending a public function to be graced by the Prime Minister. The juvenile behaviour of SNDP leader Vellapally Natesan in first inviting Oomen Chandy to preside over the function and then asking him not to turn up is curious. It is not known whether this has the tacit approval of the BJP leadership. It is unlikely that Narendra Modi conveyed unwillingness to share the dais with the chief minister who had called on him just a few days ago.

In his desperation to hobnob with the BJP, Natesan has become a threat to the cherished values that keep our heterogeneous society together. It is a pity that he invokes the name of Sree Narayana Guru who preached “one caste, one religion and one God” and reshaped the Kerala society on the basis of humanistic ideals.

The self-effacing Oommen Chandy has responded to the unwarranted humiliation with equanimity and conducted himself creditably.

G David Milton

Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

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