Refer to 'Forest land grabbers'; the Supreme Court's order to demolish an unauthorised colony in the Aravalli forest area is highly appreciable. This illegal activity on a massive scale going on for the past several years could not be possible without the tacit connivance of the land mafia, forest officials and the municipal corporation. While the Haryana Government may look after the interest of these gullible poor owners of these houses, strictest punishment should be reserved for those found guilty in promoting such illegal colony under the very nose of the NCR authorities.

LN Dahiya, Rohtak

Razing of homes

It is shocking and disturbing that the Aravalli migrants would lose their homes to a ‘strange system’ which is in place in India. On the one hand, it seems to be a good decision that the SC wants zero tolerance in the case of encroachments. But in cases like that of Aravalli migrants people are not at fault. The land mafia which had carved out the illegal colony must be punished severely for shattering the innocent lives of the migrants. Secondly, such acts cannot take place without the involvement of government officials. The residents claim that nobody stopped them from settling down in the area in the 1990s. This means that some corrupt officials must have been hand in glove with the mafia. Such officials should be taken to task. Imagine the condition of the migrants, the majority of whom have used their entire life’s savings to build their dream homes, knowing little that one day these would be razed. Where will these people and their families go? The government must come to the rescue of the migrants who are tortured emotionally as well as financially. Immediate monetary help is the need of the hour. Let justice prevail for them.

Bir Devinder Singh Bedi, Sangrur

Eternal rabble-rouser

Refer to ‘BJP wants Dalhousie renamed as Netaji Nagar, Cong opposes’; it is another gimmick of Subramanian Swamy to remain in the limelight. He knows that it is only through such controversies that he can make himself relevant and earn sinecures from the BJP. He is highly educated but his misdemeanour nullifies his qualities. By raising the renaming bogey, he has proved his nuisance value. This little hill station neither belongs to his home state nor his constituency. The residents of Dalhousie, irrespective of their political affiliations, do not want its name changed. The BJP endorses the ethos of ‘Vasudhaiva kutumbakam’. Nations are helping one another in this pandemic. Swamy should use his capabilities in constructive activities in the service of people.

Roop Verma, Jalandhar

Better late than never

It is a welcome announcement that free vaccination will be provided from June 21. ‘Der aaye durust aaye’ is in the interest of everyone in the country to overcome the Covid pandemic as soon as possible. Vaccination is the only way to keep the virus away. Now, it is imperative to chalk out a well-planned system for inoculation for everyone and initiate more efforts to clear the doubts about any bad effects of the jabs where people are hesitant to come forward.

Jagdish Singh Jassal, Patiala

Damage control by PM

Apropos of ‘Centre to provide state free vax for all adults from June 21’, the move is just to make good the dents on the face of the government sustained by the present poorly managed Covid situation and an exercise to earn goodwill in the forthcoming Assembly elections. Real governance is that which foresees and plans the remedies for any catastrophe the country may confront. It is only the SC and state heads under whose pressure the government has mended its policy overnight. Checks and balances are the heart and soul of our Constitution lest one should become a dictator.

BR Dhiman, Hamirpur

Vaccine policy

The Centre should frame a transparent formula for allocating vaccines to states, and make the formula public. Second, advance payments should be made well in advance. Third, the Centre should allow states to decide the distribution strategy. May it be door-to-door vaccination or drive-by vaccination or through other means, they should be free to mix-and-match strategies that suit them best. The ideal combination will be Central procurement and flexible decentralised distribution.

Sanjay CHOPRA, Mohali

Income tax website

The new version of the income tax website is a let-down. I have been trying to access the website since June 7 but have not succeeded. There are login hiccups. I couldn’t even see the utilities for filing the returns, like it used to be in Excel and Java-based versions. Hope the site functions smoothly soon.

Rajiv Kapoor, Solan

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