The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Readers' Mail

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 30, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Readers' Mail

Don't misuse bandhs

Sir, — The State has seen two "Karnataka bandhs" in the last one week, one called by the Bharatiya Janata Party to protest the revival of a case against the former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Uma Bharti, and the other by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad to oppose the delay by the Government in resolving the confusion over admissions to professional colleges.

Though convening protests is an important form of expressing public ire against a given issue in a democracy, it should be ensured that bandhs are not imposed on an unwilling people.

Every time a bandh is called, its supporters go around the city forcing shopkeepers to down their shutters.

Force has no place in a democracy and such behaviour is simply impermissible.

Apart from inconveniencing people, it also causes losses worth crores of rupees as businesses are hit and transactions come to a halt.

This apart, convening bandhs frequently robs the concept of its sanctity.

Protests are the last option and should be resorted to only after all other democratic options have been exhausted. Giving bandh calls for even the flimsiest of reason is only taking undue lenience of democracy.

Shekar S.,

Bangalore.

Screen films

Sir, — Delaying the release of non-Kannada films by seven weeks in the State will affect the interests of not only non-Kannadigas but also that of Kannadigas as it results in loss of revenue to the State exchequer and also hit the film industry, apart from inciting parochial feelings among non-Kannadigas.

Besides, it will also jeopardise the national interests.

Measures such as providing tax concession and subsidies to Kannada films, and denying tax rebate to non-Kannada films are better alternatives.

The Government can also make provisions for the compulsory screening of Kannada films in all theatres, providing good infrastructure, and urging the film industry to take the initiative to produce quality films

K.T. Thimmareddy,

Bangalore.

Commuters' woes

Sir, — I regularly travel by BMTC (Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation) buses and as such would like to bring to your attention a few problems faced by women commuters.

Firstly, men occupy women's seats and do not vacate them even when women board the buses. To make matters worse, they pick up quarrels with women if asked to vacate the seats. Often, the conductors are mute spectators and do little to help.

Some men use the front door to board or alight from the vehicle, causing inconvenience to the women. I have even noticed that many men board buses in an inebriated state after 7 p.m. and this is another cause for concern.

Will the authorities concerned consider putting a mesh to separate the women's section from that of the men? Also, the entrance for men in buses with hydraulic doors should be shifted five to seven feet towards the rear.

S. Raju,

Bangalore.

Run more buses

Sir, — Many senior citizens who are employed depend on the BMTC buses to go to work ever day. But during the peak hours, most of the buses are overcrowded and they find it hard to find room for them. Also, the drivers are in a hurry to leave and start the buses without seeing whether all the passengers have boarded the bus or not. As the buses are crowded, most people stand on the footboard blocking senior citizens from entering the buses.

Since this is a common occurrence, many elderly persons miss their buses and wait for the next one to arrive for no fault of theirs. Also, they end up going to work late, which may lead to the termination of their service.

I kindly request the authorities concerned to run more buses and direct the drivers and conductors to ensure that the buses begin their journey only after all the passengers have got in.

A. Sama Rao,

Bangalore.

Bangalore.

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