The open letter sent by 60 former bureaucrats to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri (Inside pages, “Halt Central Vista project, says ex-officials”, May 19) is a timely reminder to the government to take a pragmatic decision to halt the Central Vista Project. Besides the well-founded reasons advanced by the collective wisdom of experienced officers, it also amounts to expression of their agony. The massive structures such as Parliament, the North and South Blocks as well as Rail Bhavan are also the nerve centres of Indian administration. Hence prudence demands that governance should not be put to any from of disturbance, more so in a time when the economy of the country is in the doldrums. The feasibility of this massive undertaking is also doubtful if one takes into account the projected traffic that willl be generated. At present, the roads reaching the “Central Vista” area from all directions take on a heavy load. Hence this ambitious project should be held in abeyance. The possible availability of large construction agencies of the world with massive infrastructure rendered idle due to the pandemic should not be a criteria to involve them in this project.

Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh

“It was not an unfeeling Court, as has been made out. It was simply an isolated Court dealing with the matter in a routine way” is the most telling part of the article, “Social distancing from the powerless” (Editorial page, May 19). Adding to the narrative, one recalls a powerful remark made two years ago by a then senior sitting judge of the Supreme Court of India. When asked why the Supreme Court was distancing itself from the poor, he candidly said, “The Supreme Court was never meant for the poor.”

No better proof is needed for this than when the iconic E.M.S. Namboodiripad was punished for contempt of court for having only said that “the Courts are instinctively with the rich”. Therefore, when appointing judges to high constitutional office, what matters is their constitutional values in terms of Directive Principles of State Policy and Fundamental Rights, and not merely their constitutional qualifications.

Chennai

The Congress party’s unending barrage of criticism directed at the government seems more like petty faultfinding and political one-upmanship than constructive criticism (Inside pages, “Cong. indulging in theatrics: FM”, May 18). In an emergency, political divisions should take a backseat and all should work shoulder to shoulder to help the nation overcome the crisis. Not that the Opposition should hold its fire because the government is fighting a life-threatening pandemic. Also, the government cannot claim it has done everything right whether it is the migrants’ issue or the financial sector-driven stimulus package which could have enabled more direct transfers.

However, criticism’s legitimacy springs from its underlying motive and the manner of its delivery.

Thiruvananthapuram