Letters to the Editor

Torture on school students

Recently, altogether 90 teachers of a renowned Saint  Saviours Collegiate school of Calcutta vowed that they would never inflict corporal punishment  or any sort of mental harassment on students. Moreover, they also vowed not to insult and misbehave with them.

And if they do so, then authorities concerned can take punitive action against them or may even be discharged from service.

The initiative is commendable as no teachers of any school in India has taken such vows for the well being of students.

I would, therefore, like to appeal to the teachers of Assam as well as other States to take similar step in this direction. Though there is a relevant provision in the existing laws against students' torture by school teachers, it is yet to be materialized in some schools.

Putul Sarma,

Bamgaon, Biswath Chariali.

Brahmaputra plan and environmental disaster

Chi's plan to divert water from the Brahmaputra in Tibet to the "parched Xinjiang region" in Chi by building a 1,000 km long tunnel, the world's longest, will prove to be an environmental disaster. The greater Himalayan region has many weak geological zones and a project of this magnitude will result in a catastrophe. There is also a need to preserve the unique fau and flora here and all tural resources. We can ill-afford to create problems.

Satish Kumar  Sarma,

Kalyanpur, Biswath Chariali.