Reference to ‘Assam-Mizoram feud’, the current situation is the outcome of mishandling, coupled with the ego of politicians. Who is going to gain from this, nobody knows? The unfortunate incident in which several policemen were killed must be condemned at every level. A piece of land ought not to disturb the peace of the common people as well as security forces. The solution to the problem does not lie in negotiations or the Central Government’s intervention, but only through high-level arbitration, acceptable to both the states.

VK Anand, Chandigarh

Tibet problem

Apropos of ‘Xi in troubled Tibet’, the freedom of Tibet from illegal Chinese occupation is vital for Indian security. To counter Chinese expansionism, India must take the lead in creating world opinion to put pressure on the Chinese.

AK Sharma, Chandigarh

Situation in Afghanistan

Reference to ‘Misreading Afghanistan situation’, the Taliban has close ideological and operational alliance with other Islamic terror outfits like the al-Qaida. Peace and stability in Afghanistan is important for India because of the potential for trouble in Kashmir if that country remains disturbed. India needs to keep a close watch and recalibrate its moves accordingly.

Sudershan Walia, Amritsar

Memorials for martyrs

Apropos of ‘Capt Batra’s statue faces neglect’, it is indeed unfortunate that the statues of martyrs are left to poor maintenance and neglect though installed with much fanfare initially to commemorate and honour the supreme sacrifices made. The statues are raised, roads are named and lofty promises made, generally giving in to prevalent popular sentiment, eagerly appropriating their legacy, but only to be forgotten thereafter. The martyrs’ remembrance gets confined to occasional rituals, fading away with time as public memory is generally short-lived. The government must have a well laid-out policy and SOPs on raising memorials for martyrs.

GP Capt JS Boparai, Bhadsali (HP)

Aadhaar card change

The Aadhaar card issued to the citizens of the country is an important document to take advantage of various schemes, subsidies or pension being run by the Central or state governments and has also curbed corruption. But earlier, the name of Aadhaar card holders were mentioned as S/o, D/o or W/o; now, it has been standardised in C/o by the Unique Identification Authority of India. Neither is it beneficial to the people nor can it be called proper. Due to this, it has become difficult to identify the relationship of the Aadhaar card holders and many a time, the card holders face difficulties in getting their work done.

Shakti Singh, Karnal

Sidhu’s elevation

The elevation of Navjot Singh Sidhu as the Punjab Congress president, despite opposition from CM Capt Amarinder Singh, suggests an interesting but not entirely risk-free line of thinking in the Congress. Recently, a number of aggressive and voluble leaders have been elevated as PCC presidents. This appointment could be seen to catapult Sidhu into the list of chief ministerial probables and pits him firmly against Amarinder Singh who has declared his intent to lead the party in 2022. But the attrition equation between the two is unlikely to change. With Amarinder’s governance narrative facing questions, the Congress appears to be hedging its bets.

PL Singh, by mail

Begging menace

Apropos of ‘Won’t order removal of beggars, says SC’, this unforeseen choice of the Supreme Court is somewhat difficult to understand as begging is now unlawful in over twenty states. The court might have had a humanitarian view in observing this but it’s better to make alternative arrangements for children who are compelled to beg. Begging is a matter of shame for society as poverty is degrading. But to solve this problem, concrete and practical ways have to be found.

Maitri Bhardwaj, Patiala

Recruitment rallies

Mass recruitment in various government departments is a common trend witnessed in the last year of every government’s term. I wonder how in a famine of jobs, suddenly there is a flood of government jobs. Jobs could be advertised yearly and examined every six months. Since vacancies are only gradual, departments pile up the requisitions. Lack of opportunities also leads to saturation of youthful minds, diverting them into wrong activities. This needs to be changed in the interest of the public and the newer generation should not be lured by such last-minute offers.

Harsimranvir Singh, by mail

Letters to the Editor, typed in double space, should not exceed the 200-word limit. These should be cogently written and can be sent by e-mail to: Letters@tribunemail.com