Hide and seek

Sir — Advancements in technology notwithstanding, some things never grow old. A thief in Poland recently made a windfall using one of the oldest tricks in the book — he hid in plain sight. While the man was later arrested on charges of stealing jewellery from a shop after closing time, he did manage to pull off the other heist successfully by posing as a mannequin at the shop window. He had similarly avoided detection in two other cases by targeting shops that had closed. Perhaps Jerry mouse was onto something with his tactic of standing still like a statue to escape Tom, the cat, in the beloved children’s series.

Jatin Biswas, Calcutta

Political target

Sir — It was a foregone conclusion that the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee headed by the Bharatiya Janata Party leader, Vinod Sonkar, would recommend the expulsion of the Trinamul Congress member of Parliament, Ma­hua Moitra, from the House (“Mahua defiant on expel noose”, Nov 10). This is in spite of the fact that the panel could not substantiate its allegation of quid pro quo against her by exposing any money trail. Moitra’s case is a travesty of justice — she is being targeted owing to her trenchant criticism of the business tycoon, Gautam Adani.

G. David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

Sir — Mahua Moitra is a tough nut to crack. Her willingness to spend the next five years “in the trenches” fighting the BJP indicates her fearless character.

Fakhrul Alam, Calcutta

Sir — Whether or not Mahua Moitra will be expelled from the Lok Sabha remains to be seen. Her misbehaviour in front of the Ethics Committee and her mistake of sharing her parliamentary login with outsiders set a wrong precedent. She must now face the consequences.

C.K. Ramani, Chennai

Historic blunder

Sir — The economy is yet to completely recover from the disastrous ‘experiment’ of demonetisation launched by the prime minister, Naren­dra Modi, in 2016 (“Cong’s DeMo reminder”, Nov 9). The Bharatiya Janata Party usually celebrates its political achievements like the abrogation of Article 370. Its reticence to do so for demonetisation proves that the party is aware that it was an ill-advised move.

Anthony Henriques, Mumbai

Sir — People are unlikely to forget the entreaties of the prime minister asking Indians for 50 days’ time to effectively implement demonetisation. It is a pity that seven years later, cash circulation in the economy has almost doubled from what it was in November 2016, according to a recent survey. The same survey also found that most consumers were still using cash to pay for groceries, eating out and food delivery. Notebandi broke the back of the unorganised economy in India and achieved precious little. Even the 2000-rupee note that was introduced after demonetisation has been withdrawn.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee, Faridabad

Watered down

Sir — The Calcutta Municipal Corporation has decided to take stringent measures like watering the roads, covering up construction material at building sites, and stopping the burning of waste to curb air pollution in the city (“CMC to fight air pollution with water”, Nov 9). The government should also take old vehicles off the roads and ensure that other vehicles comply with the pollution norms. Citizens must also play their part in helping reduce air pollution.

Kiran Agarwal, Calcutta

Sir — The CMC should spray water on the roads from a height in order to
improve Calcutta’s air quality.

B.N. Das, Calcutta