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Reader's Mail

Manners, please

We used to be taught in school that "manners maketh a man". People seem to have forgotten this. That is why you find arrogance in public behaviour, violation of traffic rules on the road, and a "me first" attitude wherever you go. We need to remind ourselves of the niceties of life and good manners because etiquette and manners are the very lubricants of life.

Here we can pick some good points from the Army. "Thank you" and "please" are a way of life for them. Gentlemen get up when ladies arrive, and it is ladies first. Within a week of a young officer calling on a married officer, the latter invites him over for a meal at his house. Spitting on the road or throwing garbage into the open is a strict no-no. When senior officers visit a junior, they make it a point to give a small present at the time of departure. And there are always greetings from seniors for juniors on their birthdays/wedding anniversaries, etc, in a unit.

Good manners cost little but the rewards are far-reaching.

Colonel R.D. Singh,

Commandant,

213 Transit Camp,

Jammu (J&K).

Life after slums

A significant observation in "Inside Delhi" (September 5) is: "[with the slum clusters gone, there is a] drastic change in the quality of air in the region [around Vikas Marg]." I have witnessed a similar phenomenon in Maya Enclave, where a big slum cluster occupied the space originally earmarked for a community centre. During winters, there would be thick, acrid fog in the air in the vicinity of the slums, which used to envelop the nearby DDA flats also. After the removal of the slums some ten years ago, the winter fogs have disappeared. It was similar to the vanishing of the infamous London "pea-soupers" after a ban was imposed on burning of brown coal. In fact, one of the major reasons for the purported reduction in pollution in the whole of Delhi could be the removal of slums.

Removal of polluting industries must have played a role, of course, and enforcement of global automobile emission standards might have also made a contribution. In other words, CNG may not have made a significant difference. At the same time, a recent study has shown that carcinogenic hydrocarbons in the air have gone up after the changeover to CNG. In any case, there never was a reliable estimate of the contribution of automobile emissions to air pollution in Delhi.

When the changeover to CNG was being contemplated, a Government-appointed committee of scientists had advised against wholesale change. However, the decision was taken on the advice of a committee headed by a non-scientist bureaucrat. The wisdom of the scientists' advice became apparent recently when the disruption in CNG supply due to floods in Gujarat created near panic.

T.S. Raman,

EA-414, Maya Enclave,

New Delhi - 110 064.

Hello, MTNL....

I took a post-paid Dolphin connection (No. 9868182656) from MTNL on the 17th of May. Since MTNL could not provide the facilities I wanted, I surrendered the number. It was disconnected on June 3. Since then I have been requesting the Executive Director, G.M. (Accounts) and G.M. (WS) MTNL for refund of my deposit money of Rs. 10,000 towards ISD and international roaming facility, but in vain.

The first letter I sent to MTNL was on June 22. A reminder was sent on July 17 and a complaint to the Union Minister for Telecommunications on August 10, but I have yet to receive my money. I have no outstanding bills. The MTNL by retaining my deposit of Rs. 10,000 has been earning interest on it. Hence I demand that the MTNL refund my deposit along with the interest for three months calculated pro-rata for the period.

Y.C. Bhatnagar,

110, Numberdar House,

62-A, Laxmi Market, Munirka,

New Delhi-110 067.

Disheartening

It is disheartening to see Parliament being soaked up in bickering over issues like singing of "Vande Mataram" when the country is facing bigger problems like the reservation issue, the cola controversy, floods and terrorism.

Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh has been equivocating for long when asked how exactly he is going to implement the OBC quota with an increase in the number of seats at premier educational institutions as their present infrastructure and facilities are grossly insufficient for that. But he is adamant on this decision just as he is on proclaiming that singing the national song is not compulsory in its centenary year!

Gaurav Kumar,

B. Tech, Semester V,

Department of Mechanical Engineering,

Indian Institute of Technology,

Guwahati.

Beyond broadband

The Internet has revolutionised communications. More and more people are taking to the broadband facility offered by BSNL, MTNL and a number of private operators. The broadband users can track the usage of the Internet on their computer and keep it under check. A similar facility should be extended now to telephone subscribers. With it they would know on the first of every month exactly what their broadband and phone bill is going to be.

R.K. Singhal,

38 GH-2, 11 Vasundhara,

Ghaziabad - 201 012.

(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".)

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