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Monday, Aug 01, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Reader's Mail

PIN-pricks

The Department of Posts is doing a tremendous lot of good work. However, in today's world where everything moves at the speed of thought, the India Post website is not updated regularly. A lot of NRIs use this service overseas and face problems like finding PIN codes, which are almost mandatory if you want to use Speedpost, etc.Shocking as it might sound, the list of PIN codes on the India Post website has not been updated for years. Meanwhile, many new PIN codes have been created. For example, the following PIN code areas in Delhi itself have been in existence for over five years now, yet the website gives a "SORRY" message announcing that this does not exist:110 088 Pitam Pura110 085 RohiniIf this is the state of affairs for Delhi's PIN codes, God save those who want to find out the PIN codes of remote places.I suggest that India Post immediately update this website.

Vijay Dev Dabas,

164 Neelkanth Apartments, Sector 13, Rohini,

Delhi - 110 085.

Boys and girls

According to a new study on sex ratio at birth (SRB) in hospitals at Delhi, for the second and third child of a parent when the earlier children are females, the ratio is 542 and 219 girls for every 1000 boys. This is a shocking and disproportionately low figure that cannot happen by chance but can occur only by choice.

Measures for family planning have been in vogue for quite a long time. Yet it is the prerogative and privilege of all parents to plan their offspring in terms of numbers and spacing. While the urban well-to-do class invariably restrict their offspring to two, improvement in literacy has not helped the economy at all in igniting the minds of the downtrodden for whom more children are even today a precious jewel in an otherwise poverty-stricken life.

SRB figures are not to be taken lightly. The human element that cannot hide and wait impatiently for ten long months and goes out to do something knowingly against the law has a significant contribution that needs to be checked and arrested. The effectiveness of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act, apart from prominent and conspicuous display at diagnostic centres and maternity hospitals about the offence in sex determination needs to be probed into.

The human development index of our country is far from satisfactory compared to the levels set by the United Nations. Gender imbalance and gender-related developments are major factors that promote human development. The medical fraternity that has published this shocking revelation should go a mile ahead and bring out the reasons for the same.

The Sheila Government in the Capital has put Delhiites on the right track through the Delhi Metro. However, the city is riddled with all sorts of crime, especially against women, and to overcome this she has to start from birth and infancy by improving the SRB at all levels.

S. Raghavan

Block No. 23, Flat No. 502,

East End Apartments,

Mayur Vihar Phase 1 Extension,

Delhi - 110 096.

Inside DU

Your campus correspondent, Lakshmi B. Ghosh, has some good news to relay about Delhi University ("Offering books at throw-away prices" in "Campus Jottings") and also some bad news ("Testing time for Delhi University students") in your June 21 edition.

It is certainly wise of the Central Reference Library of Delhi University to offer 1.75 lakh books to students and university staff members against a token payment of only one rupee each. These books have been declared "written off" and are being disposed of in the best possible way. They will encourage the reading habit among both teachers and students as well as help in supporting the more utilitarian purpose of preparing for examinations. No wonder an unprecedented crowd converged on the Central Reference Library and 35,000 books were quickly snapped up. Well done, DU!

However, with respect to the inordinate delay in the declaration of results of the First and Second Year examinations conducted way back in April, DU certainly deserves censure. All examination results should be declared by the time DU re-opens for its new academic year on July 16. Keeping students on tenterhooks is grossly unfair to them. Surely the DU Examination Branch can streamline its working to meet this continuing requirement of bringing out results on time? It must also pull up its socks in terms of declaring revaluation results.

Vinod Chowdhury,

Reader in Economics,

St. Stephen's College,

Delhi University,

Delhi - 110 007.

Lest we forget

Two giants of Indian literature were born a hundred years ago at the fag end of 1905. One was Mulk Raj Anand (born 12-12-1905, died 28-9-2004), and the other S. Sajjad Zaheer (born 5-11-1905, died 13-9-1973). Though neither of them needs an introduction, it may be mentioned that both were founder-members of the Progressive Writers' Association formed in 1936. The inaugural conference was presided over by Munshi Prem Chand, the great novelist of India. Sajjad Zaheer was elected the first Secretary of PWA as it is popularly known. The PWA was patronised by Rabindranath Tagore, Jawaharlal Nehru and topmost writers of India of those days.

The PWA is a living all-India organisation with its Central Office at 4/7, Asaf Ali Road, New Delhi-110002. Dozens of functions are already being held all over India in memory of these two distinguished men of letters. The main centenary functions will be held in November-December this year.

May I propose through your esteemed newspaper that the Philatelic Bureau of the Department of Posts, Government of India, bring out special commemorative postal stamps now to celebrate the birth centenaries of these two great Indian writers.

Anand Gupta,

D-69, Gulmohar Park,

New Delhi - 110 049.

Railways' ways

The existing metre gauge railway line between Rewari and Delhi Serai Rohilla is being converted into broad gauge with effect from November 25 this year. All the metre gauge trains henceforth will terminate at Rewari. As such, the Bikaner region of Rajasthan will have no direct rail link to the Delhi area. Three metre gauge Mail/Express trains are at present running between Bikaner and Delhi Serai Rohilla. However, there is no proposal for gauge conversion of the Bikaner-Rewari section. The travelling public of this region will be greatly inconvenienced having no direct access. However, the railway administration proposes to provide shuttle services connecting metre gauge trains arriving at or leaving Rewari during odd hours.

Until the Bikaner-Rewari section is converted into broad gauge, it is suggested that the existing metre gauge services should not be converted into board gauge to avoid inconvenience to the travelling public of Rajasthan and Haryana.

M.L. Sharma,

Secretary,

Yatri Sewa Samiti,

Bikaner - 334 003.

(Letters for this column may be sent by e-mail to wsins@thehindu.co.in. They must carry the full postal address of the writer and should be marked "Reader's Mail".)

164 Neelkanth Apartments, Sector 13, Rohini,

Delhi - 110 085.

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