Smell the money

Sir — One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, or so goes the adage. What would traditionally be looked upon as trash has turned into a major source of revenue for the Narendra Modi government. The Centre has managed to earn more than Rs 600 crore between October 2022 and August 2023 by selling scrap like decades-old files, ancient office equipment and obsolete vehicles. This has resulted in clean corridors and empty steel almirahs in government offices — hitherto a rare sight — and a combined area of around 172 lakh square feet has been freed up. Perhaps local municipalities should take a leaf out of the Centre’s book. The slumbering Bengali babu is often hidden behind piles of old, useless files. Maybe the scent of profit can rouse him.

Srija Dwivedi, Calcutta

Petulant move

Sir — It was shocking that the Manipur government had filed a first information report against a fact-finding team from the Editors Guild of India on charges of spreading disharmony. While the chief minister of Manipur, N. Biren Singh, dubbed the journalists “anti-State”, the team has accused the state government of siding with the Meiteis in the ethnic conflict. The EGI team has also pointed out that it only went to Manipur on the army’s request as there had been allegations that the reports published by the Imphal-based media were biased against the Kukis (“Army had alerted editors”, Sept 12). The allegations levelled in the EGI report seem to have struck a raw nerve, leading Singh to engage in political vendetta.

N. Ashraf, Mumbai

Sir — The registration of an FIR against journalists from the EGI was a petulant response from a state government that is attempting to intimidate those who are trying to bring the truth to light. The Supreme Court has rightly barred any coercive action against the EGI team for the time being. Apart from criticising the local media’s one-sided coverage, the EGI’s report also condemned the internet blackout in the state as detrimental to law and order.

Media freedoms should not be taken away. Only the unvarnished truth can help stop the violence. The FIR against the EGI members should thus be withdrawn immediately.

S.S. Paul, Nadia

Sir — Unfortunately, it may be time to re-impose the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act throughout Manipur. The fact that a huge mob was able to attack a village in a Kuki-dominated district in spite of the presence of armed forces in large numbers is alarming (“Manipur ‘mob’ on rescue mission”, Sept 9). The Centre’s inaction in this regard is inexplicable.

Runu Chowdhury, Calcutta

Justice denied

Sir — The article, “The marital trap” (Sept 11), appropriately illustrates the sad reality of compromises that women are often forced to make with their rapists. During my service in the police force, I came across numerous cases where the women who had suffered assault would get married to the accused in the name of saving the family honour only to end up being abandoned by their husbands and/or in-laws within a few years. The authorities should enact laws to ensure adequate financial compensation for the victims of sexual assault.

Rabindranath Chakraborty, Calcutta

Magical touch

Sir — Following a string of underwhelming performances at the box office, the general consensus was that Shah Rukh Khan had lost his charisma and star power, and was no longer a top draw. However, the spectacular economic success of his recent films — the January release, Pathaan, and the September release, Jawan — have put those fears to rest. Jawan has also featured many actors from South India prominently, including Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi. This trend will allow the seamless integration of the southern film industries with Bollywood and lead to the production of excellent films.

Anthony Henriques, Mumbai

Sir — Besides providing entertainment, cinema is also supposed to play a role in educating its audience. The latest superhit movie of Shah Rukh Khan, Jawan, delivers on this front, raising pertinent issues like corruption, farmer suicides and failing public health infrastructure. It cautions people to exercise their judgement while electing their representatives. Let us hope that Khan’s message hits home.

Piyush Somani, Guwahati

Great depths

Sir — After the resounding success of Chandrayaan-3, India is now preparing to explore the depths of the ocean with its deep sea submersible, Matsya 6000, developed by scientists at the National Institute of Ocean Technology in Chennai. It will reportedly carry three humans to a depth of 6,000 metres below the surface of the ocean. The world’s requirement for rare earth metals, along with elements like lithium, will only increase in the coming decades and deep-sea mining can help fulfil those needs. The Samudrayaan mission, of which the submersible is a part, will further establish India as a major power in the field of scientific exploration.

Shayan Das, North 24 Parganas

Easy win

Sir — The Indian men’s cricket team must be lauded for the victory against its arch-rivals, Pakistan, in the Asia Cup (“Kuldeep turns on the style after Kohli, Rahul dazzle”, Sept 12). Despite multiple delays owing to the rains, the Men in Blue were able to post a mammoth total of 356, largely on the back of centuries by Virat Kohli and K.L. Rahul. Later, Kuldeep Yadav’s bowling spell dismantled the opposition’s batting order.

Mahajan Rohan, Jammu