Reining in rallies by the rule of law

Sir, This refers to the news item ‘No rally without licence’ (DH May 28, 2009). It is a welcome move by the Government.
Rallies, all these days, have been of inconvenience to the public, and now that the government is enforcing the rule, it is a thing of solace to all .
The permissions may be given for the rally after the assurance that the organisers will not cause any problem to the public. The details of the route taken by the rally may also be published in the media so that people may think of an alternative route. An online website could be opened for downloading forms, instructions etc., for seeking permission to take out rallies. The posters and banners may be restricted to minimum  number. 
The tying of posters to dangerous spots like electric pole, signal lights, narrow crossing should be avoided. The organisers also dirty the  walls of government buildings by writing on it, which should be avoided as well.

Shravan Iyer
Bangalore

Bonus for State

Sir, The presence of three cabinet Ministers is a bonus for Karnataka, considering its poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls.
The Congress high command might be hoping for a revival of the party in the State now and the onus lies on these ministers to make use of the opportunity. If possible, they should take a leaf out of Tamil Nadu counter parts,who irrespective of poor communication skills in Hindi and at times in English, have made their presence felt in Parliament.

Inamdar Ramachandra
Bangalore

Vienna incident

Sir, Austria's Vienna incident was misinterpreted by several news agencies that a clash took place between two factions of the Sikh community in a Gurudwara and it was announced that a Sikh guru was killed.
The reports raised a hue and cry among the people, and resulted in the destruction of public property in Jalandhur, Ludhiana, Phagwara and Hoshiarpur. It was later found that the clash did take place, not in Gurdwarda but in a temple.
The misinterpretation led to  the army being called in to bring peace in the Punjab cities. The prime minister, who was upset called for restraint and maintaining peace in Punjab.
However, the Austrian authorities are looking into this incident and have taken precautionary measures to contain the violence.

B S RaghavendraRao,
Bangalore

Desilting of drains

Sir, BBMP has taken up desilting of storm water drains well in advance of the monsoon season. No doubt it is a laudable step. But it is disgusting to note that the work is progressing at snail' s pace.
The debris, stone slabs, muck are left on the road at several places, causing traffic problem. It may also be noted that some house owners have illegally connected their sewage lines to the storm water drain.

K N SUBBA RAO
Bangalore

Medium of Instruction

Sir, Like  annual religious fairs, every year at the time of schools’ reopening/admissions, hue and cry is made over the controversial issue of medium of instructions.
This is because of lack of firm national policy on education which should be free for all with a uniform syllabus throughout the country in all schools. In a democratic government, the right to choose the medium of instruction should be left  to the parents and their wards.

Sivakumar
Bangalore

Pak’s Taliban menace

 Sir, This is with reference to the report on Taliban suicide bombing on Pakistan’s ISI (DH dated 28, MAY 2009)
By targeting ISI HQ in Lahore, Taliban has proved to Pakistan and the world,again, that it can be equated with Pak army.
It is a further indication that there exists a section of sympathisers of Taliban within the army hierarchy. Without the active material support of the Pak military, the attack on the heavily guarded ISI would not have been possible.

Deepak Chikramane
Bangalore

Our readers are welcome to post, hand deliver, fax or e-mail letters to our office at 75, M G Road, Bangalore 560001. All letters must carry the sender’s postal address. Fax: [phone]. E-mail: [e-mail].