Prophetic cartoon

Dipankar Bhattacharya’s cartoon (By the Way, April 3) captures in a nutshell the activities of the modern era. , Humans have become too dependent on modern gadgets. The culture of photocopying, printing, laminating, and spiral binding has become endemic. It has led to the reduction of memory power. The time is not far when humans will be wired to computers and all they will have to do is think. Till now the human brain has revolutionised society, unhindered. The wired brain also has immense potentiality. It will lead us to new horizons. However, with one single distorted mind, destruction will also be nearer.

The amazement depicted on the faces of the grandfather and the boy in the picture and the serviceman sets the tone for our future endeavours.

Rahul J Gautam

Bengaluru

Drunken danger

Banning the sale of liquor near a highway is neither necessary nor sufficient to end the menace of drunken driving. For a person determined to drink, half-a-km is no deterrence.. Drunks staggering out of a party at a home are untouched by the ban, as are those who treat a bottle as a driving accessory.

Of course, order will go some way in reducing loss of human lives and slightly help the Government reach its goal of reducing fatalities. But strict implementation of traffic rules and transport norms will still remain the key. It is important to hold the Government responsible for road accidents for another reason: unsafe road conditions. We cannot leave it to the judiciary to come up with piecemeal solutions; it’s up to the governments to act.

J Akshobhya

Mysuru

No limits

‘Taking wing’ (April 3) was a good analysis of the air connectivity policy. The subsidy window of concessions must be kept open to help properly stabilise India’s air map. Otherwise, new Kingfishers will emerge and disappear too.

The various categories in the route dispersal guidelines are cumbersome and will definitely discourage further investment. This attitude of robbing Peter to pay Paul will turn the proposal topsy-turvy. The burden will be on passengers who already pay a higher tariff due to the administered high cost of fuel despite it being low globally. The Centre claims it has mopped up black money through demonetisation; it should harness the available funds to enable commuters of all economic hues to travel by air.

The plan must include both a binding and an irrevocable clause in the operational agreement that they should stay on course in the regional space. Both judicious learning and requisite unlearning upon experience will be required.

B Rajasekaran

Bengaluru

Shell-shocked

The nationwide raids on shell companies which were dormant but not dead all these years caught everyone unawares. There is an imperative need to frame stringent rules for clearance to open companies. Registered companies that do not file income tax returns every year should be deemed non-existent. It is unfathomable why successive governments have not initiated any action against dubious and shell firms which are defunct. Getting political parties registered is easy but it is difficult for the Election Commission to de-register parties that do not contest elections. Those that do not engage in shady dealings — whether performing or non-performing — file their income-tax returns regularly; this is a sign of their genuineness.

HP Murali

Bengaluru

Indians, first

Secular Indians are pleased with the news that Muslim organisations have put up hoardings and posters indicating their support to the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. This shows maturity and a spirit of harmony. The unfortunate demolition of the disputed structure was a consequence of Indira Gandhi’s divisive, vote bank-motivated politics, taken forward by her son. It served to remind Muslims that they were ‘Muslims’; that we are not Indians but ‘Hindus’. Now, Indians have started to believe they are Indians first.

Hansraj Bhat

Mumbai

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