Torrential rains in the financial capital have once again exposed the callousness, civic apathy and unpreparedness of the Mumbai administration. Streets getting flooded and drainage choking are common in almost all Indian cities. The moot question is how long this situation will persist. Being prepared for such eventualities and effective disaster management plans must always engage the attention of the authorities. Rainwater should not be allowed to seep into the drainage. This is a national issue.
Srinivasan Umashankar
Nagpur
Whenever there is above average rainfall, Mumbai gets submerged. For most people, this is an unmitigated disaster. The impoverished living in low-lying areas were the worst-hit reiterating the fact that poverty enhances vulnerability to the vagaries of nature. People who depend on daily labour for their livelihood, especially unskilled migrants had to bear the brunt of the floods.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is reputed to be the richest civic body. But when it comes to keeping residents safe from the furies of nature, it abdicates its responsibility. Rampant corruption in the BMC, now run by the Shiv Sena-BJP combine, explains why the country’s financial capital is in a state of neglect. Clearly, our existing cities must be made fit for human habitation before we build Smart Cities.
Human adaptability and resilience come to play in adverse circumstances and they did so admirably in the megalopolis. Community kitchens were opened up for the stranded, as well as shelters. This showed the large-heartedness and altruism of Mumbaikars and formed a study in the essential goodness of human nature.
G David Milton
Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu
Doklam diplomacy
The edit, ‘Deal on Doklam’ (August 30), is apt. India’s firm stand was risky, but it was executed with tact and patience. The crisis has been averted but given the past actions of China, peace is in a state of unstable equilibrium. However, India has gained quiet respect worldwide by its mature approach to the problems of terror and poverty. And China that it will cost too much to wage war.
This should enable India to institutionalise a mechanism of regular dialogue with China on critical issues and simultaneously strengthen military prowess and reduce dependence on Chinese imports.
YG Chouksey
Pune
This is a win for the Modi government; even Opposition leaders gave the Centre a pat on the back. But provocative statements and discussions on social media against China should be avoided.
KV Seetharamaiah
Hassan, Karnataka
Force-feeding patriotism
The HRD ministry’s proposal to hire a private firm to subject grown-up students to patriotic music from Hindi films is strange. Earlier there was talk of taking students to martyrs’ homes, paint pictures of Param Vir Chakra winners on walls or install army tanks on university campuses, purportedly to show inculcate patriotism.
Instead, the HRD ministry must try to improve the quality of education, improve the research capabilities of these organisations and raise their standards to match international levels. The Government is within its rights to celebrate 70 years of Independence or 75 years of the Quit India Movement however way it deems fit. Surely patriotism cannot be forcefully instilled in citizens.
J Akshay
Bengaluru
No alternative yet
The ‘BJP Bhagao desh bachao’ rally organised by the RJD in Patna may have witnessed a huge turnout but it hardly signalled the emergence of an effective and credible political narrative. Even though regional parties have been influential in the formation of national coalitions, they have been largely reactionary rather than offering an alternative political narrative with regard to the ambitious political agenda of the BJP. Without presenting a strong, united front, they cannot stop the BJP from returning in 2019.
M Jeyaram
Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu
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