Positive impact

Sir — Big sporting events can often have a detrimental impact on the host nation’s economy and ecology. Not only are countries left with infrastructure they do not need after the event but there can also be significant environmental damage while constructing the same. But an impending sporting event can be beneficial too. Efforts to resuscitate the Seine before the 2024 Olympics in Paris are showing positive results. So much so, that Parisians may be able to swim in it during subsequent summers. Unfortunately, the Indian government chooses to concentrate its efforts on deception rather than actual work. For instance, during the 2010 Commonwealth Games, slums were hidden from view with asbestos and bamboo partitions instead of resettling the slum dwellers.

Soumita Lahiri,Calcutta

Great stride

Sir — The rise of the Aam Aadmi Party from a fledgling regional outfit to a national party within a decade has been phenomenal. It has made its presence felt in a number of states with its un­conventional electoral stra­tegies. The loss of national party status for the Trinamul Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Communist Party of India may hamper their political aspirations. They can only regain their place by improving their regional influence.

D.V.G. Sankararao,Andhra Pradesh

Sir — The elevation of the AAP to the status of a national party will come as a relief for it after it has been plagued by arrests of senior leaders owing to corruption charges. The party has made a place for itself in the national political scene after forming a government in Punjab in addition to its dominant position in Delhi. Further, the demotion of parties like the TMC, the NCP and the CPI may give the AAP a bigger opportunity to challenge the saffron party.

M.R. Jayanthi,Chennai

Milking an issue

Sir — The row in Karna­taka over the sale of milk products manufactured by Amul is unwarranted. The upcoming assembly elections in the state seem to be the reason behind this issue being blown out of proportion. Amul is unlikely to eat into Nandini’s market share given its relatively higher price. No brand should be prevented from selling its products on the basis of linguistic identity.

N. Sadhasiva Reddy,Bengaluru

Avoidable clash

Sir — The governor of Tamil Nadu, R.N. Ravi, has rushed to give his assent to the bill regulating online gambling after the state assembly passed a stern resolution against him. His Telangana counterpart, Tamilisai Soundararajan, also signed off on three bills in quick succession after the Supreme Court heard a petition lodged by the Telangana government alleging that she had intentionally delayed the passage of a number of bills. Both governors could have avoided such embarrassment if only they had acted in accordance with the Constitution instead of being swayed by partisan politics.

Tharcius S. Fernando,Chennai

Sir — The governor of Tamil Nadu has finally decided to give his assent to the bill to ban online gambling after months of opposition. The Raj Bhavan had returned the bill to the House for reconsideration after it had been passed in October last year, following which the government led by the chief minister, M.K. Stalin, passed it again. The state government has taken ahuge step to tackle the loss of lives owing to the economic ruin brought about by gambling.

C.K. Subramaniam,Chennai

Sluggish growth

Sir — According to the la­test assessment by the In­ternational Monetary Fund, the global economic growth may only be around 3% — the lowest medium-term growth forecast since 1990 — over the next five years. The prediction made by the managing director of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva, blamed the slowing growth of the world economy on the recent shocks from the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. That this is likely to persist for the next five years is alarming.

Jang Bahadur Singh,Jamshedpur

Lack of funds

Sir — Even as the Univer­sity Grants Commission seeks to implement four-year undergraduate programmes across India, it is disheartening to see that principals of colleges administered by the Calcutta University are crying out for the proper infrastructure to transition to the four-year plan (“4-year UG: Principals of CU colleges seek funds”, April 11). The UGC should have ensured the availability of enough teachers, laboratories and libraries before ordering a compulsory shift to the four-year format.

Debaprasad Bhattacharya,South 24 Parganas

Popular content

Sir — A report published by the media consulting firm, Ormax, shows that the number of Indians watching international English content has increased by 124% from 19.1 million to 85.2 million since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020, with subscription video-on-demand viewers numbering 42.7 million. The report also notes that 65% of urban Indian SV­oD audiences watch Eng­lish content. Such figures prove that English content is no longer a niche in India.

Amarjeet Kumar,Ranchi

Beat the heat

Sir — Various parts of our country have been experiencing extreme heat waves for the last few days. Sufficient intake of water and bathing are essential to help us beat the heat. Such advice is also applicable to birds. We should keep pots filled with fresh water in our balconies and in our backyards to help them cool off.

Sourish Misra,Calcutta