Letters to the editor

Cauvery award• Tamil Nadu's chief minister, M. Karunanidhi, is quite happy about the Cauvery Tribunal (‘Karnataka bandh will now b...

Cauvery award

• Tamil Nadu’s chief minister, M. Karunanidhi, is quite happy about the Cauvery Tribunal (‘Karnataka bandh will now be on February 12’, IE, February 7). But he should be aware this is not the end of the dispute with Karnataka. The state feels it is the aggrieved party and so will use all its fire power, legally and otherwise, to stall implementing the award. It is very likely that Tamil Nadu won’t get an extra drop of water as per the award for quite some years. The Central government will also like to play politics by trying to please both the states and postponing a decision on the implementation of the award. Farmers, unsocial elements and others will take advantage of the situation and may resort to bandhs and violence. With all these hurdles, an amicable settlement of the river water dispute is not likely to happen in the near future.

—K. Venkataraman, Mumbai

Boycott’s better

• A section of the media — both electronic and print — are effectively putting their weight behind the screening of the film, Parzania. The film reminds people of the communal riots in Gujarat in 2002. One wonders for what public good! For, Gujarat is calm now and regarded as the most progressive state and got recently the Rajiv Gandhi award for that. However, a section of the media and some politicians would not mind stoking the communal fire by reminding the people of a past tragedy, which Gujarat has left behind and moved ahead.

Story continues below this ad

The film is rightly not allowed to be shown in Gujarat. In fact, all peace-loving people should boycott the film, even though it is cleared by the Censor Board. And that is perfectly democratic and Gandhian satyagraha. Gujarat riots are something the country will be better off not reminiscing about through celluloid amplification.

— K.G. Acharya, Mumbai

Anti-Congress vote

• This refers to the article by Rakshit Sonawane (‘Post-poll Mumbai is a house divided’, IE, February 7). The writer is wrong in believing that it is only the Marathi Manoos who has voted the BJP-SS back to power. It is Mumbai as a whole, including the Gujaratis, north and south Indians irrespective of their class and educational qualification, which has rejected the ‘Muslim appeasement policy’ of the Congress and the NCP, which was clear from the way the two parties blamed each other for the Malegaon issue. The poll results imply that the pseudo-secularism of the Congress and NCP will not wash any more.

— Amish R. Shah, Mumbai

Wetland awareness

• Every year February 2 is celebrated as World Wetland Day throughout the nation to call attention to a fast-disappearing eco-system, but we have not yet been able to educate people about the importance of wetland.

Today there are 127 contracting parties to the convention with 1085 wetland sites globally measuring 82.2 million hectares designated for inclusion in the Ramsar list of wetlands of international importance; India has 18 designated sites so far, with an area estimated at 4.1 million hectares (excluding irrigated agricultural lands).

Story continues below this ad

Wetlands are intricate eco-systems, of great benefit to man. Wetlands are the interface between land and water systems and include lakes, ponds, mangroves, swamps, marches and coral reefs. But we have been destroying these systems at an alarming rate by draining them and filling them to use the land for other purposes. There is an urgent need to document and collect baseline information on wetlands in India and take steps for their conservation before this water-logged wealth is frittered away and lost for ever.

— Probir Kumar Bose, New Panvel