Impose WFH option

IT companies have switched to alternative working options including staggered working hours and enabling work from home option for almost all its employees owing to Covid and restrictions due to curfews. The move to encourage to work from home is a welcome at a time when the pandemic is affecting public health and safety. Work-from-home can help combat air pollution and traffic congestion in cities.

WFH options must be extended to even government employees; as most of the government departments now rely on the internet. This could help improve the productivity of government staff.

Varun Dambal

Bengaluru

Ensuring justice

One can see the Supreme Court’s autonomy eroding over the last five years as a lot of its judgments in this period has raised the eyebrows of the pubic and legal experts.

Many important cases such as the petition against the scrapping of Article 370, the legal validity of CAA, etc are pending before the court.

After the Covid-19 struck the country the apex court remained shut for physical hearings resulting in fewer than 25 per cent cases being heard.

The main issue in pandemic of migrant labour was not handled properly and lakhs of migrants suffered a lot. The vacancies in both the Supreme Courts and High Courts are not filled resulting in pendency of lakhs of cases denying justice to the public. Reappointing retired justices to clear the backlog of cases has also been mooted.

The number of PILs must be reduced because lot of time is wasted in dealing with them. Adjournments must also be reduced to ensure early judgments. It is time to protect the judicial independence and increase the confidence of public on the justice system

TSN Rao

 

Bhimavaram (AP)

The second wave shock

With reference to the Editorial ‘Crisis of coordination’ (April 23), it is now undisputed that the second Covid wave is increasing at a rapid pace across the country, this after both the Centre and the States claiming victory against the pandemic a few weeks ago. It is also a failure on the part of the ICMR, which should have advised the government on enhancing the production of medicines, oxygen cylinders and speeding up of production of vaccines. The laxity on their part is the cause for lakhs of people getting affected and thousands of deaths due to non-availability of either medicine or oxygen supplies.

The Centre and States have underestimated the pace of the second wave and are now busy blaming each other for non-availability of oxygen cylinders and medicines, which serves little purpose. In our Federal structure there cannot be any price variation of vaccines between States.

The second wave could lead to another crisis for migrant workers impacting the economy severely. It is high time that the Centre shows greater transparency in dealing with the pandemic and take on board all States and union territories.

Katuru Durga Prasad Rao

Hyderabad

Smoothening the ride for EVs

Apropos ‘Charging tech to drive India's EV ride’ (April 23), indeed Electric Vehicles are a vital element for reducing greenhouse emissions and noxious pollutants. The cost of the vehicle and range of the models could be streamlined. The major focus is on 'charging infrastructure' which puts the potential consumers on the back foot as they would have a fear of exhausting electric charge in between two stations and recharging the same.

Establishing fast charging network is a must for all kinds of EVs. Charging from power grids and constructing stretch of inductive electric road are sources of charging with little feasibility in the Indian context. Unles the charging issues are sorted out, EVs are unlikely to have an easy ride in India. Technology development on the EV charging front, more private sector participation and user-friendly Government policies will spur e-mobility in India.

NR Nagarajan

Sivakasi

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