Letters to the editor

Comptroller’s call• PRESIDENT A.P.J. Abdul Kalam suggested (IE, April 3) replacing the present system of post-project audit by the...

Comptroller’s call

• PRESIDENT A.P.J. Abdul Kalam suggested (IE, April 3) replacing the present system of post-project audit by the CAG with “in near real time online non-intrusive e-audit”, as the latter would enable the implementers of projects to take note of the deviations an audit may point out and to take corrective steps midway through the execution of projects of national importance like the Golden Quadrilateral and NREGS and large power plants. About the NREGS, the president wanted the CAG to make the programme transparent, as there have been reports of corruption in implementation in some areas. But, administratively speaking, online audit-like duties should be performed by the exploding numbers of supervisory and monitoring officers, some of whom have be prone to corruption. If compromise, connivance and corruption end at the top, numerous Dubeys and Manjunaths will courageously perform their online audit-like duties.

— M.M. Singh, Ahmedabad

In Greg’s defence

• I FIND amusing the argument that Greg Chappell was the cause of our cricket’s downfall. No, sir, not by a long shot. Who can coach the Prince of Calcutta, the Nawab of Najafgarh and of course world beater, The Master Blaster? They are a law unto themselves. No coach on earth can teach them a thing or touch them in any way. God forbid! They are India’s demi-gods. What if on a few occasions wickets tumble in a heap? Silly cricket lovers must have the decency and vision to stomach it. Today, the truth is that the game of cricket has changed vastly and cricket needs strong shoulder muscles, solid abs and, of course, the willingness to take orders. These essential traits are all missing in the make-up of our cricket players. Greg Chappell was a great player in his own right and to impute motives to him is unpardonable.

— A. Prasad Ahmedabad

Legal recourse

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• NORMAL life was disturbed in Tamil Nadu on March 31 as a dawn-to-dusk state-sponsored bandh was observed to protest against the Supreme Court verdict staying the implementation of 27 per cent quota for OBC in elite institutions for 2007-08. This caused tremendous loss of man hours and productive activity. The bandh belied the responsibility of the state to ensure the rule of law and has created an unhealthy precedent. If the Tamil Nadu state government was aggrieved by the SC ruling it should have taken recourse to legal remedies rather than resorting to bandhs. Was bandh not contempt of court under the provision of Contempt of Court, Act 1971, which provides for showing respect to decisions of court of law and says doing anything that lowers the image of judiciary attracts punishment. There is need to comply with the provision of the Contempt of Court Act, 1971, in letter and spirit.

— Umesh Narain, Ahmedabad

Without divides

• THE Allahabad High Court has delivered a landmark judgment based on the census report of 1951 and 2001 that Muslims can’t be treated as minorities and given special treatment (‘One hon’ble HC judge rules…’ IE, April 6). Unsurprisingly, politicians who banked on Muslim votes in the present UP elections have criticised the judgment. What India needs at the moment is national integration and a feeling of oneness, so that we together face the enemies of the nation. Instead of achieving this, our selfish politicians are dividing the country, by various means, along religious and caste lines.

— B.S. Ganesh, Bangalore