sentinelgroup@gmail.com
KNP elevated corridor: A boon
The Union Cabinet’s approval of the decision to expand 85 km of the National Highway from Kaliabor-Numaligarh, including the 35 km elevated corridor along Kaziranga National Park (KNP), is a boon to the people passing through this narrow passage. Though the KNP corridor is almost a straight one, with a 32 m restricted Right of Way (ROW) and an overall compulsory speed limit of 40 km/h to maintain, it makes the passage turn into a labyrinth, especially for the vehicles carrying patients with medical emergencies, when every second counts. For ambulances, traversing this corridor presents a significant challenge. And one who dares to challenge the prescribed speed limit either ends up hitting a slow sauntering animal or courts high penalties. This elevated corridor will guarantee safe cross-movement for the wildlife and promise a speedy sortie to general vehicles and the ambulances as well through KNP.
Moreover, for an economy to grow at a higher rate, generating demands becomes a requisite for every economic policy. Government investment in capital goods like roads and infrastructure in turn helps to generate demands for investment goods like cement, steel, building materials, etc., and gives a fillip to industries producing such goods. This boost leads to employment generation, which brings additional money into people’s pockets, ultimately increases the demand for consumption goods and keeps the GDP rate higher. So the investment in the current highway project is like a one-size-fits-all remedy which will help in creating both direct and indirect employment, at the same time supporting a cash flow for the industries and to the public as well.
Kabir Ahmed Saikia,
Rajabari, Jorhat
Actor Vijay falters
After running away from the site of the Karur tragedy to save himself from any harm from any quarters, and after hiding in his Neelaankarai bungalow for three long days, actor Vijay posted a video on social media. It was expected that, in the video, he would have apologised to the bereaved families of the 41 dead in the stampede and those who were undergoing treatment in different hospitals, with remorse, empathy and stoicism, for being the cause of the calamity and also for running away from the scene of tragedy. Alas! It was not to be. The actor tried to defend himself by saying that he had not done anything wrong and also tried to implore sympathy from the public by accusing the police and challenging CM Stalin, by saying that if he (CM) wished to take “revenge”, it should be directed at him and not at the members of his party! Even his expression of the so-called ‘pain’ he was experiencing over the calamity was synonymous with histrionics and sounded dramatized and cinematic, for which he is well known as an actor. He has proved beyond doubt that he is unfit to lead a political party, let alone become the CM of the state.
It is now in the hands of the people of Tamil Nadu to escape from the clutches of death which awaits them in the guise of cine-glare and not to vote for such cowardly leaders who would be the first to take to their heels when a crisis crops up, leaving the people in the lurch.
The state definitely cannot afford another actor-made tragedy like the one in Karur.
Tharcius S. Fernando,
(tharci@yahoo.com)
Flotilla intercepted by Israel
Israel intercepted a pro-Palestine flotilla 70 nautical miles off Gaza, detaining over 500 activists aboard 40 boats, including Nobel laureate Mairead Maguire on the Gutenberg. Water cannons were used before seizure. South Africa termed it a breach of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, while Colombia called it piracy; Ireland’s PM also condemned it. This third interception since June 2025 renews debate on the Gaza blockade. For India, balancing $12 billion in Israel trade with traditional Palestine support is diplomatically challenging.
RS Narula,
(rsn2065@gmail.com)
Beyond GDP: Making Growth Inclusive
Through your esteemed newspaper, I wish to comment on Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s recent statement that India’s growth remains resilient despite global headwinds, supported by increased capital spending.
While it is encouraging that India demonstrates economic strength amid global uncertainty, true resilience must translate into inclusive growth reaching farmers, small businesses, and ordinary citizens grappling with rising prices and unemployment. Capital expenditure is vital for infrastructure and long-term development, but equal emphasis must be placed on social welfare, healthcare, and education—sectors directly impacting citizens’ daily lives.
Authentic growth transcends GDP statistics; it is measured by how secure and prosperous the average Indian feels. I hope the government balances strategic investment with people-centric policies to sustain this resilience meaningfully in the years ahead.
Altaf Hussain,
Guwahati
MSP hike: An eyewash
Certain television channels and a section of the media have hailed the government’s recent announcement on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for rabi crops as a festive gesture, a so-called “Diwali gift” to farmers. Yet, farmer organisations across the country remain far from pleased. For them, the announcement made on Wednesday, October 1, has once again exposed the gap between political rhetoric and the lived reality of cultivators. Ordinarily, the MSP for rabi crops is declared a little later in the season, often in the third or even fourth week of October, sometimes spilling into November. This year’s unusually early announcement has been timed to influence the electoral climate ahead of the upcoming Bihar elections. The cabinet decision increased the MSP of wheat by Rs 160 per quintal, mustard by Rs 250, and sunflower by Rs 600 compared to last year. Numbers such as these are frequently cited in headlines as signs of generosity. However, the spectacle of an ‘MSP hike’ is misleading; such announcements are usually designed to earn applause so that everyone can say farmers have been given a major benefit. But the truth is that farmers end up bearing losses every single time. The Swaminathan Commission, formally known as the National Commission on Farmers, recommended that MSP should be set at 50 per cent above the comprehensive cost of production, a formula described as C2 + 50%. This formula accounts not just for seeds, fertilisers, labour, and inputs but also includes imputed costs such as the rent of owned land, interest on capital, and depreciation of farm equipment. These, farmers argue, reflect the true economic cost of cultivation. The BJP government spoke about adopting these recommendations several years ago and declared that the Swaminathan formula had been accepted. It was linked to another grand promise that farmers’ incomes would be doubled within a fixed time frame. On the ground, little has changed. Instead of C2 + 50%, the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), which fixes MSP, continues to use the narrower A2 + FL formula. This formula covers paid-out costs (A2) and family labour (FL), but deliberately leaves out land rent, interest on fixed assets, and depreciation. The outcome is predictable: a drastically understated cost of production, which results in lower MSP. With input costs steadily rising, the gap between what farmers spend and what they earn continues to widen. And until the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations are genuinely implemented, the MSP, no matter how early or how loudly declared, will remain less a gift and more a reminder of unfulfilled promises.
Bhagwan Thadani,
(bhagwan_thadani@yahoo.co.in)