During the second Covid wave, when 4 lakh cases in India are being reported daily, partial lockdown in Punjab is not serving any purpose. With some shops open, there are still crowds at public places. Daily-wage earners are, again, victims of the administration’s blind decisions. There needs to be a complete lockdown for a few days in Punjab also, which could help in checking the transmission of the virus to some extent.

Puneet Mehta, Patiala

Reservation cap

Refer to ‘No quota beyond 50%’; the SC upholding the 50% quota cap on reservation for educational institutes and government jobs is a welcome development. That this ceiling is sacrosanct unless an extraordinary case is made out, was also the essence of the 1992 Indra Sawhney judgment. The cap reflects an attempt to balance the state’s prerogative to try to correct historical injustices suffered by some groups. Given the trend of demands for reservations, it has great value in returning the focus on increasing jobs and educational opportunities. So, beyond the constitutional dimensions, the verdict has political and economic dimensions which actually are at the root of the Maratha reservation legislation. Similar processes are underway in Andhra Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat. Even socially dominant communities have begun to demand reservation in the backdrop of a weak economy that is not creating enough opportunities for upward mobility. Breaching the quota cap will impart neither economic dynamism nor social healing.

EL SINGH, by mail

No quota beyond 50%

Caste reservation continues to remain a bone of contention since 1990, particularly when VP Singh’s government granted 27% job quota OBCs. Different judicial opinions and decisions keep coming on reservation at different points of time. Piecemeal judicial approach on similar issues is another disturbing point. The SC has restrained Maharashtra from exceeding 50% quota cap, but nothing is heard on the issue in case of Tamil Nadu, which extended reservation to 69% in 1990. It is time that all reservation issues are clubbed together and resolved once and for all. Let the respective quota be fixed on 50:50 ratio; 50% for reserved categories and 50% under the open one. All beneficiaries should be horizontally clubbed under a single category on the basis of their poverty level alone.

Udai Singh Phogat, Rohtak

Dues, not largesse

Refer to the Punjab largesse; employees all over the country have had their pay revised five years ago, but employees of Punjab are still waiting for it. If you go into the calculations, no benefit is being given. Allowances that should have been revised in 2017 will be given from July 2021. As per all pay commission reports, whenever DA reaches 50%, it should be merged with basic pay. But employees have not been given DA instalments for a long time. In January 2016, the rate of DA was 125%. Why is the salary bill always taken as non-productive expenditure when this is the most productive providing services to the people? In all other so-called capital expenditures, a good part goes down the drain as hefty commission.

Rajesh Kumar Sharma, Fazilka

Say it mindfully

Refer to ‘SC junks EC plea, won’t expunge Madras HC remarks’; the HC has made only oral remarks. It is not right to say that the SC has junked EC plea, instead it has reprimanded the Madras HC for its inapt remarks. The SC has termed the ‘murder charge’ remarks against the EC as ‘harsh’ and the ‘metaphor inappropriate’. This should assuage EC’s hurt feelings. During an earlier hearing, the SC had said it would not interfere with the Madras HC remarks, as it would demoralise the high courts. But what if the EC also got demoralised by the HC remarks? Let us have a balanced view. The SC order advises the judges to show restraint from making off-the-cuff remarks. The moot point is that whatever is said in the court by anyone should be carefully crafted so as to maintain the decorum of the court.

WG CDR CL SEHGAL (RETD), JALANDHAR

Oxygen crisis

The Central government has lost in the SC the case regarding a high court order notifying it to increase oxygen supply to Karnataka. Instead of approaching the SC, they should immediately ensure optimum quantities of oxygen and other medical items so that no one has to suffer. The current demand of the states should be fulfilled adequately and resources should be utilised properly. If the Centre lacks resources, funds should be allocated to the states to start up oxygen facilities independently, but with cooperation with each other. States having excess oxygen or equipment should distribute them to other states. The Centre’s strategy should be made clearer to avoid the scope of any clash.

Navjot Singh, Amritsar

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