| February 21, 2007 | Wednesday | Safar 3, 1428 |
To send a letter to the Editor
Click here
Suffering due to negligence
Combined examinations
Major projects vs master plan
Smoking ban
Collection of property tax
Not radically different
Baglihar Dam
Expiry date
Movements of VVIPs
Neighbourhood watch
Fatima Jinnah Park
Cautionary tales
Yet, before readers get a somewhat skewed impression of some aspects of life in India, let me just say that several of Mr Noorani’s impressions are region-specific, i.e., what applies to Mumbai may not necessarily apply to New Delhi. The differences in sub-cultures may be anywhere on the subtle to jarring spectrum.
Readers are requested to restrict their comments to a maximum of 400 words. We reserve the right to edit letters for reasons of clarity and space. Letters, including those by e-mail, should carry the complete postal address of the sender. The views expressed in these columns do not necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper.—Editor
THE ghastly terrorist attack on Samjhota Express near Panipat has been condemned by both India and Pakistan in equal measure for the first time. For the first time peace-loving people on both sides have together been the victims of a terrorist attack. For the first time both the countries have desisted from blaming each other on a terrorist incident.
Let this sacrifice of 67 victims be the beginning of an opportunity for both countries to muster courage to put an end to this scourge of terrorism that is gnawing at the vitals of both the countries. The ongoing peace process must now work overtime to arrive at meaningful decisions.
In the meantime, the government of India may please let the Samjhota Express run as a normal fast train between Delhi and Attari, connected by vestibules and unlocked doors, to prevent passengers getting trapped in case of emergencies. Samjhota Express is the only lifeline of trust between ordinary people of both the countries to generate goodwill on both sides.
Let this train with trust deficiency now be converted into trust sufficiency, as a first step to balm hurt feelings. And the perpetrators of this tragedy which aims at derailing peace process between India and Pakistan be traced and brought to justice with all the might at our command.
COL (r) RAM GULRAJANI
Chennai, India
A MORE opportune time had never come before that could facilitate a treaty of friendship between these two neighbouring countries. But alas, the enemies of these two countries utterly disliked the opportunity, and struck hard by blasting the Samjhota Express. The people of India love the people of Pakistan, and the latter equally love their Indian counterparts.
Now people of both the countries must stand up and give a befitting reply to the enemies of friendship and brotherhood. The people of India feel severely bereaved at the death of so many innocent Pakistanis who had come to India to exhibit their love, but became victims of enemies of God and humanity.
G. S. JOHAR
Kanpur, India
THIS is with reference to the news item ‘Bloody attempt to derail peace train’ (Feb 20). Our hearts go out to the innocent victims of this savage terrorist act.
The Pakistani government has by and large displayed a maturity of understanding in its first reactions to this bloody terrorist act. This is why even the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon while condemning the train attack also praised the leaders of both India and Pakistan for “their determination to continue on the path of dialogue.”
Your report quoting a real time poll survey by NDTV news channel in India reported that 54 per cent of the voters in the said survey blamed ‘one of us’ for the incident while just 44 per cent accused the terrorists. You did not report how many participated in the survey. The said survey report is not available on the NDTV website when I tried to verify it just before writing this letter.
The Indian government will leave no stone unturned in bringing to justice the perpetrators of this heinous crime targeting the Delhi-Lahore train. Terrorism in all forms must be defeated for the safety of humanity.
AVUTHU SRIHARI
Hyderabad, India
I RECENTLY had to undergo a nasal surgery (septoplasty) which is a day procedure but ended up confined to home for more than two months. I went to one of the best ENT specialists in town who convinced me that it is a minor surgery.
I chose a reputed hospital in PECHS from among the various hospitals advised by the doctor. I found the staff to be very friendly and I felt that I was in safe hands. But this was a misconception as I discovered a large blister on my right calf on the third day of my surgery.
I was confused how this happened as I was on complete bed rest. Later in the evening I had to go the doctor to remove my nasal pack and showed him the blister. To my surprise he conveniently said: “It is a diathermy burn; you can apply ointment on it,” and pointed to the paper and added: “I am writing the name down, apply it daily”. I was initially irritated that some people do not even have the ethics to say sorry for I am sure he owed me an apology for an unnecessary injury I suffered during the surgery.
I continued to follow his instruction. A week later when my splints (to support the nasal bone after surgery) were removed, the doctor did not even bother asking me how the burn was healing. I myself was too drained after internal nasal bleeding to question him regarding the burn.
Eventually when the wound started to look quite upsetting, I consulted another doctor who advised another cream but the burn was bad and eventually the doctor decided that he would have to extract the two-inch deep abscess for it to heal.
It has been nearly two months and I am still suffering due to negligence on the part of the operation theatre technician. I would like to draw attention to all such mishaps which might be petty for the doctors and hospital staff, but the patient has to pay a huge price. This is a trauma which is truly hard for me and for my dear ones to forget. For heaven’s sake, I went for an out-patient surgery but due to the negligence of a bunch of people I am still in pain and have been suffering for more than two months.
SHAMAMA SHABBIR
Karachi
I READ with much relief the decision about conducting examinations of Classes IX and X separately. This is indeed a wise decision. However, I think more should be done to improve the general standard of education across the country.
Although 60 precious years have passed, the country lags far behind in all the fields. In order to change the country’s fortune, the government will have to ensure modern and quality education, for which it will have to take the following steps:
a. The government should allocate a very handsome budget to ensure cheap and quality education for all. It should open more and more schools in rural and urban parts of the country as well.
b. Condition of school buildings needs to be improved and maintained regularly. Presence of adequate furniture, fans, clean drinking water and cleanliness must be ensured on a regular basis.
c. Recruitment of teachers should be strictly on merit.
d. As the present syllabi are obsolete to a great extent, it must be overhauled to make education useful and practicable.
e. Efforts should be made to ensure good performance of educational boards and teachers, good condition of schools and facilities to students should be ensured along with the correct and transparent utilisation of the education budget.
The government should induct an educational overseer board which is fully empowered to make the difference. This board should comprise the great personalities belonging to the private sector like industrialists, renowned social workers, dedicated educationists and able retired judges.
ANWAR HUSSAIN
Karachi
YOUR editorial (Feb 12) assumes that there is no master plan available for the Rs30 million and $350 million traffic-related major projects. The latter project is a century-old plan for adding two additional railway tracks from the Karachi Port to Pipri, for which even land was acquired at the time of building the railway.
This is not only to boost railway freight and passenger trains but also to serve as rail mass transit service for commuters.
This was also included in the 1952 MRVP master plan and also partly covered in the approved 1991 KMTP master plan network as Priority #4 Corridor, from the Karachi Cantonment to Landhi.
However, the former project is not included in the approved 1991 master plan, but its need could have arisen later, which can be confirmed by its feasibility report.
As regards the $350 million flyover project, your editorial is right that its impacts on environment and the disruption for the citizens during its construction will certainly be high, besides its very high cost, which might create a long-term subsidy and foreign debt problems.
This can be easily overcome by building the long flyover along with the long-awaited quadrupling of railway tracks on the additional land already available for the purpose, connecting it with Sharea Faisal with convenient service roads at several points, thus minimising the environmental and public disruption aspects, while reducing the cost considerably.
Rail tracks for future mass transit service can be fixed on the flyover deck. The cost of the flyover can be easily recovered within a few years, after which rail mass transit can be easily provided through the BOT process.
The government may consider this proposal on priority as compared to the present costly plan involving so many problems, besides its exorbitant cost.
SYED M. RIZVI
Karachi
IT is heartening to see the provincial government’s anti-smoking task force resolve to curb the menace of smoking in public places, transport systems and around educational institutions (Metropolitan, Feb 16).
Pakistan ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2004, which calls for a comprehensive, multilevel approach towards tobacco control and prevention of tobacco use among all population groups.
Sadly, there seems to have been very little effort on the part of the government in the past in undertaking serious steps to curb this addictive menace.
Tobacco use is the number one preventable cause of cancers of various organs, as well as cardiovascular, respiratory, and other diseases and we as a developing nation cannot afford the costs associated with this addictive behaviour.
I pray that this new resolution is strictly enforced and not be just another resolution akin to the ban on the sale of guthka which is still freely available in the market.
DR SEEMA I. HASSAN
Karachi
A REPORT in this paper recently spoke of a plan to collect property tax on a monthly basis. A similar proposal was considered at a meeting held in July last under the chairmanship of the Karachi city nazim. It was then discussed to collect property tax through electricity bill, similar to the TV licence fee. However, the proposal could not be finalised due to public pressure.
Collection of property tax has been like a pain in the neck for the local government due to corrupt practices in the local excise and taxation department. But this does not mean that the local government should start collecting property tax by hook or by crook from the occupants of properties, more particularly when the premises are occupied by tenants.
Paying property tax is absolutely the responsibility of property owners and not of tenants. When a tenancy agreement is signed between owners and tenants, it clearly indicates that all utility bills will be paid by the tenant, whereas, property tax is paid by the owner of the property.
In most cases, water, conservancy and fire bills are also paid by property owners, but after the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board has introduced the monthly billing system, it has somehow become the responsibility of tenants to settle the same to avoid disconnection of their water supply.
The question arises how will the excise and taxation department collect property tax from property owners in cases where the premises are occupied by tenants? For example, if a bill of property tax is received at the address of a tenant, will the tenant pay the property tax, when it is the absolute responsibility of the property owner under the tenancy agreement signed between the property owner and the tenant?
What will happen if the bill issued by the excise and taxation department remains unpaid or, in other case, will it be the responsibility of the tenant to send the property tax bill to the owner every month?
The other side of the picture is that in case the landlord does not live in the same city or if he or she lives abroad, how then will the tenant manage to dispatch the property tax bill to the owner so as to settle the same before its expiry date?
The excise and taxation department should send its representatives for a comprehensive survey of properties before dispatching property tax bills, so that it should not become a burden on tenants, who are already paying exorbitant amount of rents to landlords who after expiry of the initial period of every 11 months’ lease increase the rent without any justification, otherwise ask the tenant to vacate their premises.
There is a need to address the issue of prevailing exorbitant rents and collection of property tax from property owners, otherwise poor tenants will have to bear the burden of paying property tax on behalf of owners, which will again be injustice to tenants.
The excise and taxation department should arrange to organise a public hearing in Karachi so as to determine how to collect property tax from owners.
SYED A. MATEEN
Karachi
Western India, of which Mumbai is a key metropolis, has traditionally demonstrated way greater civic sense than people in north India; New Delhi represents the typical north Indian (and I suspect not radically different from behavioural patterns seen across Pakistan) culture that believes in noise; indiscipline on the roads (but maybe not as much indecent gawking at women); use of clout; ostentatiousness and so forth.
That said, there is not much to comment on his observations in respect of the law and women. But, it wasn’t always like that — impressions from 20 years back would have made for a very different copy. Like I said, yes, India has evolved but needs doing more.
MADHU LALL
Toronto, Canada
BOTH Pakistan and India are claiming to be the winner in the verdict given by the World Bank-appointed expert in the disputed Baglihar Dam project.
In order to determine the actual winner, there is a need to hire the services of another international expert, whose findings should be binding on both the countries.
The outcome of other disputed projects undertaken by India is likely not going to be different.
Our agencies concerned wake up only when the questioned projects are already in advanced stage of development.
The maturing of the Neelum-Jehlum hydroelectric project is an example of late action and inordinate delays on our part.
Will we ever grow out of our lethargy and inaction on matters of vital national importance?
R.A. BHUTTA
Lahore
HAS anyone ever noticed that there is no expiry date mentioned on bakery products we buy? This includes all of the items — bread, bun, etc — by companies claiming to be in business for many years.
Do these things never go bad?
SYED WASIQ ABBAS
Karachi
THE prime minister recently decided to visit Peshawar. His movements created chaos in the city, and the city was brought to a standstill so that he could move around.
Roads were shut down, people could not make it to work, traffic was jammed for hours, and parts of the city were cordoned off.
I am sure that by now the prime minister knows that he is not welcomed anywhere he goes, but even that does not put an end to these VVIP movements.
I, therefore, suggest that he and the president declare a local holiday before they visit any city in Pakistan.
FAWAD SULTAN KHWAJA
Peshawar
CHAUDHRY Shujaat Hussain, the president of the ruling party, has asked the opposition to submit its proposals as to how to hold fair polls. Mushahid Hussain Syed, secretary-general of the PML-Q, has gone even further by expressing his desire for being invited by the PML-N in the upcoming multi-party conference.
The initiative of these leaders is commendable but given the record of the opposition parties, something usual will happen this time as well.
The parties that will lose will blame the government for rigging the polls. This phenomenon should be put to end once and for all.
Some foreign election commission should be requested to conduct the next polls. Recommended is the one from our neighbourhood.
ASMA CHAUDHRY
Lahore
I WAS perplexed to see a news item informing us that the Capital Development Authority is considering changing once again the layout of the Fatima Jinnah Park in F-9 sector in the name of a Citizens’ Club.
I would like to appeal through these columns against this ill-conceived idea of destroying this beautiful and only green space in Islamabad.
May I remind the authorities that no attempt has been made to change the basic layout of the centuries-old and famous Hyde Park and Central Park, in the heart of London and New York, respectively.
There people and planners both understand the importance of green places in the middle of bricks and cement for the health and environment of the cities. Kindly keep the F-9 park an open area for our children to breathe the fresh air.
NASIR KHAN
Islamabad
APROPOS of article ‘Cautionary tales’ published in Dawn’s The Review, ( Feb 8), it was indeed an eye-opener.
As the English newspaper readership is quite restricted in the country, I believe that it would be a great service if the translated version of this article is published in Urdu.
This will certainly help reaching the message to the very intended parents/guardians and even the pupils themselves who belong to the highlighted strata of society.
NADEEM MAQBOOL AHMED
Karachi
You can also send letters to the Editor
Just send your message to the following address: letters@dawn.com
Make sure you include your full name, postal address, e-mail address, and in the case of Pakistan your day-time telephone number.