Readers' Forum

Why double standards?

Dear Editor,
Normally every year at the start of summer, the timing of state government offices in Jammu district gets changed from 10 AM to 8 AM on the pretext of summer heat. This practice has number of flaws and technical problems, which are normally ignored by the officers at the helm of affairs due to their personal benefits. To enumerate few - the timing in Government of India offices remain unchanged and officers/officials working there never complain of any problem so far as summer heat is concerned.
Secondly, the interests of Doda, Poonch and Rajouri residents are ignored. Most of the people from these areas visit divisional level offices every day. But as soon as they reach Jammu, the offices by then are already closed. The Civil Secretariat starts at 9.30 AM and normally the divisional level officers are called after 9.30 AM, therefore, these offices also start after 9.30 AM instead of 8 AM. Yet on the other hand, the Government of India offices start after 9 AM and work till 5 PM and there is no coordination between the two, which has resulted in the lack of communication affecting the developmental activities to a great extent.
The state government should change the timing of schools and colleges, but the timing of government offices should not be changed, as the officers there get handsome salaries. The labourers, shopkeepers and other working sections never claim undue benefits on the pretext of summer heat. So, why the government officers/officials should be treated as a privileged class?
Particularly when the state government employees always seek benefits at par with the central government employees in terms of wages and other benefits, then why such lame excuses are made, when it comes the issue of discharge of normal duties for the benefit of common masses.
The coalition government should take an initiative in this connection and should not change the timing in Jammu based offices merely on the pretext of summer heat with an exception of educational institutions, yet excluding clerical staff.
-Taj Din &
other residents of Poonch and Rajouri.

Frantic measures won't do!

Dear Editor,
There is no doubt that the government is now taking frantic measures to contain inflation and bring down the prices of essential commodities. The government has banned export of rice and some other essential commodities besides announcing the import of edible oils and pulses. But even these measures are proving inadequate, not able to control inflation.
Reason being the government has woken up to the crisis after wasting lot of precious time. Yet even now when it has taken cognizance of the gravity of the situation which may dampen its poll prospects in wake of the election year, it is mainly relying on the superficial measures.
This is no secret at all that the situation in India is still not as bad as in many other countries of Africa and Asia. However the situation demands that the government needs to keep a check on the hoarders and black-marketeers. It is this section which is exploiting the crisis to its advantage by first creating artificial scarcity of even those essential commodities, which were available in plenty in the country just few days back but suddenly disappeared from the markets and then selling them at exorbitant rates, simply unaffordable for a man on the street.
Although the government has decided to import edible oils and pulses besides vowing to break the cartel of cement and steel traders but till it does not take strict measures against the hoarders and profiteers, the people won't get any respite from the spiralling prices. Besides these short-term measures, the government also needs to review its economic policies and formulate long term measures to contain the inflation rate. It is desirable that the focus of economic policies should be common masses and not the few privileged affluent categories, which are already enjoying the pelf of power.
--Amitabh Sharma,
Jammu.