Firing on protesters
It is shocking that the police resorted to firing at a rally taken out in Thoothukudi when the participants were demanding the closure of a copper plant (“Police firing claims 10 lives in T.N.”, May 23). The growing discontent among those living in and around the plant is well known and it is disconcerting that instead of addressing their genuine fears of the ill-effects of pollution, the powers-that-be continued to ignore them.
The reckless handling of the protests and the extraordinary patronage extended to the offenders deserve to be condemned in the strongest terms.
S.V. Venugopalan,
Chennai
Right from the time the unit was set up in Thoothukudi, there have been a series of protests at various points in times over the issue of rampant pollution. The fault lies with successive governments in the State for not paying heed to people’s distress. The government is wholly responsible for the shocking turn of events in which several people have lost their lives. Announcing compensation and ordering a probe serves no purpose (“Police fired under unavoidable circumstances: T.N. CM”, May 23).
K.R. Srinivasan
Secunderabad
Viral outbreak
The appearance of the Nipah virus in Kerala is the third such outbreak in India, the first two having occurred in West Bengal in 2001 and 2007, which in turn were linked to similar outbreaks in Bangladesh. It is important that the common man is well informed about the mode of transmission of this zoonosis. Sustaining basic principles of personal hygiene may go a long way in the prevention of its spread, as in the case of most infectious diseases. The need of the hour is to also devote the time and resources to the study of the virus (Editorial – “The Nipah test”, May 23).
Hamsavardhini V.,
Vellore, Tamil Nadu
Constitutional relations
Though one fervently wishes that the suggestions made by the writer are replicated in India and made a statute, there are stumbling blocks (Editorial page, “Keeping each other on edge”, May 23). The first is that the judiciary remains fragmented at the highest level. Unless there is unity among judges no meaningful attempt can be made to forge conviviality between the judiciary and the executive. Likewise, the executive has serious problems — it is indirectly controlled by the incumbent government. It obeys the political class and does not enjoy any independence. It has no time for introspection and sane voices do not have relevance. One will be surprised if the core embedded deficiencies are set right in the near future. Until these defects are rectified, there is no scope for thrashing out the differences between the two arms.
V. Lakshmanan,
Tirupur, Tamil Nadu
A river faded
I was both amused and sad to read the report, “State gears up to hold ‘pushkaram’” (Tamil Nadu, May 22) — on the plan for October and after a gap of 144 years. In several places, the Tamirabharani does not even exist where it flowed in full splendour just a decade ago. In Ariyanayagipuram village, about 20 km from Tirunelveli, stretches of the river are either puddles or mounds of sand. Instead of holding a tamasha, the government should concentrate on restoring water bodies in the State.
A.R. Ramanarayanan,
Chennai
