Unsafe roads

Many years ago, a contractor friend told me that only 10 paise out of a rupee is spent on making roads; 90 paise vanishes in the forms of bribe-giving (“Making our roads safe”, Aug.8). In Russia, it snows nine months in a year but one hardly comes across an unusable road. We are just over-corrupt and will continue to suffer at every level.

V.V. Nair,

Manipal

It is ironic that we spend more time and money everyday worried about terrorism but are nonchalant about losing thousands of lives every year in fatal road accidents. Road construction firms are politically connected so there is hesitation about ensuring accountability. Drivers and passengers are equally to blame as they hardly observe safety rules. Driving while under the influence of alcohol is another factor. There is an urgent need of accountability on multiple fronts.

Varad Seshadri,

Sunnyvale, California, U.S.