Unrealistic plan

Sir — Ruchir Joshi’s piece on the need for a complete overhaul of the public transport system in Calcutta read like one of H.G. Wells’ thrilling plots (“Future ready”, Mar 7). But his lack of sympathy for private car owners was disturbing. Improving the public transport system is no guarantee for reducing private car ownership, especially in a populous city like Calcutta. Germany, for example, has a public transport system — comprising trains, trams, metros and buses — that is viable enough to allow its metropolitan citizens to stop using cars completely. However, 77% of German households own private cars. If road infrastructure is improved along with the public transport system, private cars can co-exist without causing traffic snarls.

Shaon Roy, Calcutta

Justice delayed

Sir — Even a decade after the brutal gang-rape and murder of a 21-year-old college student in Kamduni, the chief minister has not kept her promise of ensuring the speedy delivery of justice (“Remember Kamduni, Didi?”, Mar 5). Instead of taking responsibility for the delay, Mamata Banerjee has shirked her duties and brushed off those protesting against the hold-up as being politically motivated. She has also declared that the court’s judgment is not under her purview. The chief minister must fulfil her promise if she wants to retain people’s faith in her.

S.S. Paul, Nadia

Sir — The pace at which the Kamduni gang-rape case is being dealt with by the courts is not apposite, especially in light of the 2013 report of the Justice Verma Committee, which advised the speedy disposal of such cases. The chief minister must ensure that justice is served at the earliest.

K. Nehru Patnaik, Visakhapatnam

Easy win

Sir — The Congress’s win in the Erode (East) assembly bypoll in Tamil Nadu was expected. This is because of the pro-incumbency sentiment prevalent across Tamil Nadu. The chief minister, M.K. Stalin — his party was supporting the Congress — had announced a monthly honorarium of Rs 1,000 for women heads of families. This must have boosted the Congress’s chances. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has some soul-searching to do.

Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai

Backward move

Sir — The editorial, “Back to basics” (Mar 4), rightly raised questions regarding the research on the applicability of the Manusmriti in modern India, especially since the ancient text propagates the oppression of Dalits and women. The Constitution, which was the result of careful deliberation to weed out just such oppressive practices, cannot be replaced with the Manusmriti. It is important to follow B.R. Ambedkar’s motto, “Educate, Agitate, Organise”, in order to change such a discriminatory mindset.

Sujit De, Calcutta

Hateful rumours

Sir — The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government in Tamil Nadu should be lauded for its timely action in quelling rumours being spread on social media that the lives of North Indian migrants who work in the state are at risk. A couple of years ago, a fake video had triggered a mass exodus of people from Bengaluru. Migrant workers from North India are employed in several southern states. Any attempt to stoke hatred towards them should be nipped in the bud.

M. Jeyaram, Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu

Painful reality

Sir — Many barriers on the road to gender equality have been removed, but numerous roadblocks remain. Women have fought hard to get to the present when they can dream of balancing work and home, even if it remains a distant dream for many. The battle for rights related to reproductive health has been a hard-fought one but women have been successful at persuading governments to initiate policy changes to improve their health and well-being. In India, the Maternity Benefit Act that was enacted by Parliament in 1961 has been amended from time to time to give women better benefits. For instance, paid maternity leave has been extended from the earlier 12 weeks to 26 weeks. It is in this context that the Supreme Court of India’s directive to a petitioner to approach the Union ministry of women and child development to frame a policy on menstrual pain leave has to be seen. Pointing out that there are different dimensions to such a request, a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud, said the biological process must not become a disincentive for employers offering jobs to women.

P.M. Gopalan, Chennai

Unsafe celebrations

Sir — People often behave callously during Holi by targeting pets and stray animals. Stray dogs and cats are hit with water balloons or doused in colours by irresponsible merrymakers. This can cause toxic allergies, blindness and stomach problems in them owing to the metal content of some colours. We must keep animals away from colours and, in cases of accidents, bathe them thoroughly and visit vets in severe cases.

Pinaki Nandy, Shillong, Meghalaya

Game changer

Sir — The English team haswon 10 Test matches under the stewardship of Brendon McCullum, using the famous ‘Bazball’ technique (“Baz’s having a ball”, Mar 6). It recently scored 500 runs in the first day of a Test match owing to this. Bazball might not always yield desired results, but given its overall success, the English team is likely to keep employing it. Instead of blindly replicating the aggressive batting that is propounded by Bazball, otherteams should come up with newer techniques of their own. This will enrich the game of cricket.

Bal Govind, Noida