No ads on trains, please

Cascading effect
The turmoil in Egypt is now having a cascading effect in the Middle East and Africa (‘Libya cuts off internet access’, February 20). At present, it has engulfed Yemen, Bahrain, and Libya. Could Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, Sudan, Iran, Iraq and others be far behind? The day is not far off when this revolutionary spirit encompasses the entire Islamic world, including the South East and Far East nations like Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei; similar is the case with Turkey and its Northern neighbours in Europe.
—Vineet Phadtare, via e-mail

A good start
Team India started their World Cup campaign with a win over Bangladesh. The team showed a stupendous batting display (‘A Viru good start’, February 20). Sehwag’s swashbuckling brilliance and another mature performance from the continually improving Virat Kohli, aided by sizable contributions from Gambhir and Tendulkar, propelled India to 370 for 4. The Bangladeshi bowlers appeared clueless as the Indians went on the rampage. However, India’s bowling display did throw up a few questions, as they conceded 283 runs. Sreesanth was the most erratic and, barring Munaf Patel and Harbhajan Singh, the bowling side struggled to make an impact. The fielding, too, didn’t inspire much confidence.
—Pradyut Hande, Mumbai

II
Apropos ‘A Viru good start’ (February 20), it was indeed sweet revenge for Team India against Bangladesh in the inaugural match of the World Cup. This is the way the team needs to play in the other matches too — aim at scoring over 350 runs.  The bowling was pedestrian and there were moments when one thought that Bangladesh would easily score 371, the way their batsmen were scoring with supreme confidence. The only change one would like to suggest, for at least the tougher games, is to bring in Piyush Chawla in place of Sreesanth who gave away 53 runs in his five overs, justifying why he was dropped from the team.
—V Subramanyan, via e-mail

MLA hooliganism
Vandalism, violence and other destructive activities are increasing, not only on the streets of India but also in assemblies and the Parliament. What happened in the Andhra Pradesh assembly on the first day is not at all acceptable (‘Pro-Telangana MLAs beat up colleague, heckle AP guv’, February 18).  Entering into the well of the house in groups and shouting slogans, throwing things on other members or using abusive languages in the House should be banned. Anyone behaving in such a discourteous manner should be sent out from the assembly for the session and they should not be allowed to draw their pay and allowances on these days. We should make this as crime punishable under law.
—V Venkitasubramanian, Thane

Blasting the media
This is with reference to ‘After Pawars, Deshmukh blasts media’, (February 20).  How does Vilasrao Deshmukh know that panelists head to bars after the discussion sessions on the channels? Instead of blasting the media, he should pay the fine of Rs10 lakh from his own pocket. How could the people of Maharashtra forget his inaction during the 26/11 attacks? He also faced flak when he took film producer Ram Gopal Verma to Taj Hotel after the terrorists were cleared out. Now-a-days, it has become convenient for politicians, judges and celebrities to blast the media if unpalatable truths about them are brought out.
—Deendayal M Lulla, Mumbai

No ads on trains, please
There seems to be no sense in the Central Railway’s move to cover the entire fleet of the suburban trains with vinyl wrapper advertisements, and that too for a paltry Rs5.3 crore annually (‘CR to deface trains for revenue’, February 20). Every item of public utility has to preserve its own identity and character. If the CR is so cash strapped, the best way will be to take measures to reduce ticket-less travel and introduce other measures to earn this amount. Already the AC buses on the roads are an eye  sore with their ads; at least let the railways keep their ‘image’ clean.
—AG Ramasubramanian, Navi Mumbai

No potable water
This is with reference to ‘BMC’s duty to give clean water, clear air’, (February 18). The Bombay high court has rightly held the BMC responsible for providing clean drinking water and pollution free air to citizens, as it is the primary duty of the BMC. It, therefore, cannot shirk its responsibility. The court has been very fair to remark that people’s tolerance should not be tested. The common man is always at the receiving end and continues to suffer. He is a victim for no fault of his. The  citizens have every right to expect basic amenities like potable water from the BMC.
—Prem K Menon, Mumbai