Mamata’s utterances unbecoming of a woman

In the aftermath of the shocking incident of a 23-year-old MMBS student’s gang rape in West Bengal’s Durgapur, the insensitive and irresponsible comments by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who tried to shift the blame on the student, and questioned the rationale for coming out of the campus in the midnight was baffling.

This amounts to encouraging anti-social elements and soft-pedalling of those involved in the crime, who are on the prowl to outrage the modesty of unsuspecting women. The State has become a den for rapes and political murders under the TMC government.

Mamata Banerjee being a woman herself has failed to fathom the sensitivity of the situation and is oblivious of the agony of the victim and her anguished family. The state is perennially in the news for all the wrong reasons with the active connivance of Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress party.

K R Venkata Narasimhan, Madurai

Mamata must resign

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is behaving as if she is not accountable for the safety and security of the people of her State. This is evidenced in the wake of the midnight gang-rape of a medical college student in Durgapur and her disgusting reaction to the incident. Wondering why the student had come out at such a time was a lame explanation and unbecoming of a Chief Minister.

She should emulate the efficiency with which Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is handling and rounding up anti-social and rowdy elements. It is time Banerjee resigns as the state’s Chief minister owning moral responsibility for heinous crime.

S Lakshmi, Hyderabad

A beacon of sustainability

I wish to applaud the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha temple in Simhachalam for its exemplary commitment to environmental sustainability. This ancient shrine has set a remarkable precedent by seamlessly integrating eco-conscious practices into its sacred rituals. The temple’s initiatives, such as adopting renewable energy, efficient waste management, and water conservation, are truly commendable.

The introduction of electric buses and rainwater harvesting systems demonstrates a significant step towards reducing its carbon footprint. The strict ban on single-use plastics and promotion of biodegradable alternatives are practices that can be emulated by other religious institutions. Under the visionary leadership of Trust Chairman Ashok Gajapathi Raju,

Simhachalam has become a model for sustainable pilgrimage infrastructure. His mantra, “Conserving nature is the true offering to the divine,” resonates deeply in today’s environmentally conscious world. By working together, we can ensure a greener future for the future generations.

Raju Kolluru, Kakinada

Approach Afghan issue cautiously

This has reference to your editorial ‘Pak’s idiotic ‘strategic depth’ policy is killing its own soldiers’. When the US troops left Afghanistan in August 2021, there was jubilation in the military and political circles of Pakistan that they had another Islamist ally to fight against the ‘kafirs’ in the world, with a distinct and unmissable focus on India.

The PAF helped liberate one of the provinces, Taloqon, tucked away in the mountains and impregnable, to make the job easy for the Taliban. The tables are turned against such strategic doctrine dreamt by Pakistan. India under any regime in Afghanistan has been helping that country, whenever natural calamities struck on purely humanitarian considerations.

However, there is a need for India to evolve a cautious approach, since a country believing in ‘sharia’- not believing in women’s right for education and social justice, can be enigmatic.

K V Raghuram, Wayanad

Streamline RTI Act on a priority basis

It has been 20 years since the RTI Act was enacted on October 12, 2005. In these two decades it has emerged as one of independent India’s most powerful tools for promoting transparency and accountability in governance. Citizens across the country have used it to expose corruption, ensure timely delivery of public services, and make government institutions more responsive.

However, despite these successes, several challenges threaten the enduring effectiveness of this landmark law - increasing delays in responses by Public Information Officers, misuse of exemption clauses, harassment of RTI applicants, and lack of awareness among the rural population are eroding its intended impact.

Furthermore, recent attempts to dilute certain provisions, such as the tenure and autonomy of Information Commissioners, raise concerns about weakening its enforcement. It is imperative that both the government and civil society work together to strengthen RTI implementation through better infrastructure, protection for whistleblowers, and public awareness campaigns. Only then can the spirit of transparency envisioned in the Act be truly realized.

Sajid Farooq, Kurnool AP