Sir, — A bare reading of the very controversial order passed by the National Green Tribunal on January 23 prohibiting the sale of alcohol in Goa on January 26 and declaring it as a dry day was a very high-handed order passed without any jurisdiction whatsoever. The NGT has, in fact, totally erred in trying to usurp and exercise powers under Article 226 and/or 132 of the Constitution, the authority which the NGT is not empowered with. Notifying a dry day is a State policy and is not within the domain of any court or the NGT. What is further objectionable is that the order was passed by the NGT ex-parte without hearing the government. That the government did not move swiftly to get the order rectified or even get it set aside by the Supreme Court is another issue. It was a fit case for the government to go to the Supreme Court and get such a blatant illegal order undone.
Though the NGT has done a lot for the sake of environment, such out of the blue, illegal and high-handed orders can open a Pandora’s Box and slowly erode its credibility.
Aires Rodrigues,
Goa
Make unreserved travel more convenient
Sir, — There is a unique user-friendly element with the Western Railways, under which a passenger with unreserved sleeper class ticket is permitted to travel in a few trains in earmarked coaches in specified sections, without paying reservation charges, during the day. Fares will be payable for the actual distance and not on the minimum distance charge of 200 km (Western Zone Railway Time Table, Passenger information, Page No. C-20). Passengers holding second class valid tickets may also travel in these coaches on the payment of difference of fare between sleeper and second class.
This feature is admirable and can avert the possibility of being fined by the Travel Ticket Examiner. There is a heavy magnitude of commuters travelling between Kalaburagi and Raichur who find it difficult to board the reserved coaches owing to the chance of facing penalty. If the Railways introduced the above system of its Western Zone in certain coaches on trains except superfast trains, it would help old and women passengers.
Mudgal Venkatesh,
Kalaburagi
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