Tax them young

Sir — People who are already fed up with paying sundry extra charges at hotels now have another irritant. The Toccoa Riverside Restaurant in Georgia has started a new policy of charging an additional fee from diners who cannot control their unruly children. While many have condemned the surcharge, others have reasoned that it is time parents are held accountable for their wards’ behaviour. Perhaps a financial penalty can prompt immature adults to take responsibility for their young ones. Those looking to have a peaceful meal should not have to suffer the tantrums of spoilt children.

Subham Agarkar, Mumbai

Futile words

Sir — The Union defence minister, Rajnath Singh, recently spoke about the trust deficit between the Kuki and the Meitei communities in Manipur and urged them to have a “heart-to-heart” talk to iron out their differences. Such appeals carry little meaning for a state that has been on the boil for months and is yet to be visited by the prime minister even once. Unsurprisingly, Singh blamed the Congress for the turmoil, absolving his own party, which is in power both in the state and at the Centre, of any responsibility.

Avinash Godboley, Dewas, Madhya Pradesh

Speak up

Sir — Charu Sudan Kasturi has rightly stated that unlike Israel, India has neither occupied the territories of its neighbours nor bombed civilian populations (“India is not Israel”, Oct 31). How, then, can we consider Israel’s stand against Hamas equivalent to our nation’s stand against Pakistan-backed terrorism? The secretary-general of the United Nations, António Guterres, was justified in stating that the Hamas attacks did not take place in a vacuum. Had the British still been ruling India, would the world have lent moral support to the colonial regime against the freedom fighters? Palestinian civilians have suffered the brunt of Israeli attacks for decades. India must speak out against Israel’s atrocities in Gaza and advocate the two-state solution.

Sujit De, Calcutta

Brisk business

Sir — The chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, has jubilantly declared that this year’s Durga Puja has generated an income of over Rs 80,000 crore and provided employment to around three lakh people (“Puja yielded business of Rs 80,000cr: Mamata”, Nov 2). She claims that this vindicates her decision to spend
Rs 300 crore on cash incentives to Puja committees. While it remains to be seen how much the working class has benefitted owing to her decision, her promise to invest more in the Pujas will surely dismay ordinary citizens who already have to contend with pandals blocking thoroughfares for weeks before the Puja starts.

Jahar Saha, Calcutta

Sir — Durga Puja in Bengal seems to have transformed into a massive economy, with business worth thousands of crores being conducted during the days of the festival. Critics may condemn the amount disbursed to Puja committees as a waste, but if the Pujas generate returns in excess of Rs 72,000 crore, as a British Council report has stated that it does, then it can be a viable economic model.

D. Bhattacharyya, Calcutta

Long journey

Sir — It is shocking that a train that left Kerala on October 28 reached Calcutta on November 1 after a 53-hour delay owing to the train mishap in Andhra Pradesh (“Train that took forever”, Nov 2). The failure of the railway authorities to communicate the reason for the delay to the passengers must be condemned. Who will compensate the passengers for their plight? The Telegraph’s effort to bring to light citizens’ problems is commendable.

Terry Infanto Thomas, Calcutta