Letters to the Editor: Sudden upsurge

With the elimination of dreaded Khalistani terrorist Bhinderwala, a transient lull in the activities of the Khalistanis was noticed by the peace-loving people of Punjab. The Khalistanis had gradually started shifted their bases from India to Pakistan and Canada. But suddenly, during the farmer agitation, which was actively supported by INC, AAP, TMC, SP along with the Leftists, the Khalistanis in the guise of farmers became very active in parts of Punjab, Haryana and UP and they took almost took the entire nation as hostage. The utter vandalism let loose by the Khalistanis in the guise of farmers on August 15 compelled the entire nation to hang its head in shame and in anger when even the Tricolour was not spared. Now with the formation of an AAP Government in Punjab, the traitor Khalistanis are again becoming active. The recent rocket attack in Punjab by the terrorists is a pointer in this direction. The freebies promised by AAP before the election will ultimately cost the nation as a whole.

A very simple to message to the gullible Axomiyas who easily get swayed by emotion, the very same AAP has started knocking at our doors.

Lanu Dutt Chowdhury,

Guwahati.

Need for revival of Congress

There is no doubt that the nation needs a pan-India Opposition party and as of now, for whatever its shortcomings, the Congress continues to be the most dominant Opposition party, with a vote-share of about 20%. For India's interest and for saving democracy and the nation, on revival of Congress lies the future of liberal and secular Indian democracy.

We are observing that regional parties like the Trinmool in West Bengal, TRS in Telengana, AAP in Delhi (and now Punjab), YSR Congress in Andhra, DMK in Tamil Nadu, etc., are rising and giving stiff opposition to the present dispensation with their exaggerated electoral promises. Apparently, many within the BJP strongly want the Congress to revive, for its own continued survival and electoral successes. Mostly, whenever the BJP faced strong regional challenges, it ended up being electoral losers. A strong Congress party, with the talent pool that it has, can definitely contribute to help keep the nation together with its liberal and secular values.

D Bhutia,

RGB Road, Guwahati.

Another Aussie gone

In less than 3 months, the cricket world is mourning again the death of another Australian cricketer, Andrew Symonds. The 46-year-old swashbuckling former all-rounder Symonds, who played 26 Tests for Australia from 2004-2008 (scoring two centuries) and 198 One-day Internationals (in which he scored 5,504 runs and took 133 wickets), was involved in a single-car accident outside Townsville in Queensland on the night of May 14. Incidentally, his loss is another bitter blow for Australian cricket after the death in Thailand in March of legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne. Wicketkeeper Rod Marsh also died in March, aged 74. The larger-than-life Symonds was hugely popular, not only for his hard-hitting approach to the game but also for his easy-going personality. With dreadlocks and his face daubed with zinc cream, Symonds always cut a flamboyant figure in the Australian team. As a cricketer, Symonds was not only a hard-hitting batsman but was also a useful part-time bowler and an absolute gun fielder. The aggressive all-rounder played a very important role in Australia's success in white-ball cricket. Both Symonds and Matthew Hayden were part of two Australian World Cup wins and they are the only two players who never lost a World Cup match, among those who played a minimum 5 World Cup matches.

In Tests, Symonds wasn't as successful as he was in white-ball cricket, but one of his Test hundreds is remembered by many, especially Indians. In the 2007 Sydney Test, Symonds scored 162* against India in the first innings. It was a controversial knock as he nicked the ball when he was on 30 and didn't walk. Later, the monkey-gate episode (he accused Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh of calling him a "monkey") and dubious decision on the fifth day of the Test made it more ugly. Despite the animosity, Symonds and Harbhajan eventually made up and played together in the Indian Premier League, with the Australian forging a successful career as a respected television commentator after retiring.

Born in Birmingham, England, to Afro-Caribbean and Swedish parents, Symonds was adopted by Ken and Barbara Symonds and moved to Australia with his parents when he was just 3 months old. Rest in eternal peace, the cricket world will never forget this controversial figure. He will be remembered as one of the greatest fielders of all time and one of the greatest white-ball cricketers from Australia.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee,

Faridabad -121005.

Fire tragedy

The fire tragedy occurred in a commercial building near the Mundka metro station in outer Delhi, which reportedly consumed 30 innocent lives, is yet another stark reminder of how fire safety norms are flouted by building owners with impunity. Buildings must be planned, designed and constructed to ensure that fire safety measures are in place in strict accordance with National Building Code of India's guidelines which regulate the building construction activities across the country. Even though NBC makes these measures mandatory, majority of multi-storey buildings continue to ignore and violate the safety norms, and often play with human lives. In fact, many buildings lack even basic fire safety systems, like fire extinguishers. Also, there is no statutory provision for regular verification of adherence to fire safety norms in multi-story buildings. Delhi is already gripped by a punishing heatwave, and the fire tragedy only adds to the melancholy of the national capital. As is customary, the Delhi government and the PMO have announced cash compensation to the families of the victims. But the task of affixing monetary value to human life is an awkward and intractable one, isn't it?

Ranganathan Sivakumar,

Chennai – 600 091.