Letters to the Editor: Gadkari Effect

The NHIDCL (National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd) has intensified its vigil on NH projects in Assam after the recent three-day visit of the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari to the state. The NHIDCL has asked the construction companies of NH projects in Assam to speed up work during this working season spanning from October to April. A report of The Sentinel in its November 17, 2022, issue said this. If it is so, one can call it a Gadkari effect.

During his visit to the state, Gadkari made it clear that construction companies delaying project works would have to go. He also said that the Central Government would hold the officials involved in the projects responsible for intentional delays. This straight talk from the Union Minister, it seems, has made the NHIDCL adopt a strict vigil of the project works to avoid any delay, The Sentinel reported. NHIDCL has also asked its ground-level officials to intensify its monitoring of project works. NHIDCL has made it clear that if any construction company delays project works with intention, it will take stringent action as per provisions of the contract agreement. Gadkari reviewed the progress of every project of Assam and other states of the region in the presence of representatives of the state governments and construction companies.

When it comes to Assam, since Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was present at the review meeting, he solved some of the pending land-related issues of NH projects in Assam. NHIDCL expects the Assam Government to sort out the remaining land acquisition issues of NH projects early.

Some of the NH projects got delayed in Assam due to hiccups in land acquisition. National highway authorities take it in their favour and generalize that land problems delay all NH projects in Assam. However, ground inspections clearly show that the construction companies on NH projects have been behind schedule in many NH projects in Assam that have no land-related problems.

Topo Singha,

Milan Nagar,

Barbari, Guwahati

Gruesome murder

Inspired by American crime show Dexter, a 28-year-old Aftab Poonawala, killed live-in partner Shraddha Walker in May, chopped body into 35 parts; kept parts of her body in a refrigerator that he had bought for the purpose, and then scattered those, one by one, across the city's Mehrauli forest. The case came to light after her estranged father came to Delhi from Vasai to look for her after a friend of hers told him her phone was switched off for several weeks now. He finally went to the cops, more than five months after her murder. This incident would have sent shivers down our spines had it happened anywhere in the world. Side by side this gruesome murder raised a big question that now everybody -from her father to friends - wants the head of the gruesome killer Aftab. But why did they not come to save Shraddha? How did no one find her silence suspicious during this period? As per the media report, it seems that the family, (particularly father) cut off all connections with her, except some rudimentary calls/letters – as her situation turned dire, and she sought help, friends did not come aggressively. It would seem that the family didn't want her, or wanted her "married off" ASAP, usually they would speak of getting "rid of this old unmarried girl somehow" in their conversations, but what about her friends remains a big question mark. Had Shraddha's father not reported to police, the case would have gone unnoticed. And the accused would have been on the way to commit another such crime as he had started dating another girl. Feel sad for the family, parents who raised her. The moral of this gruesome incident is that misguided youth need to take a lesson from this incident, that every ending is not always 'cool'. May her soul rest in peace and the killer Aftab get the rare punishment that he deserves.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee

Faridabad

Medical negligence

It is extremely painful to learn that the main reason for the death of R. Priya, the 17-year-old footballer is medical negligence. It is more so when such a simple ligament repair done through a minor surgery has cost her precious life due to deficiency in the post-operative care given to her by the doctors. This unpardonable act is a timely warning to the government and the general hospital authorities to exercise stringent measures to see that such a tragedy never strikes again on anyone.

While the entire state is mourning the untimely death of a promising sports person, it is unfortunate that politicians like TN BJP leader Annamalai and AIADMK leader E.Palaniswamy are trying to gain political mileage out of this tragedy with their unsavoury comments particularly against the ruling DMK government. While the crude and cruel overtures of Annamalai who has never shown any maturity in his conduct and speech, except trying to fish in troubled waters, is understandable, it is really unfortunate that Palaniswamy, who has served as the Chief Minister of the state earlier, should also follow suit! However, the people of Tamil Nadu are not that naive to decipher their selfish intentions and would react appropriately at the right time.

When the two surgeons deserve appropriate action against them for their negligence which has led to this tragedy, we should also not forget the yeomen service rendered by the government doctors during the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic even risking their life. That some of the doctors and nursing sisters gave up their life while performing their duties day and night with all dedication to the common man in distress is also a case in point.

Tharcius S. Fernando

Chennai

National Press Day is observed every year on November 16 to celebrate a free and responsible press in India. The day is aimed to emphasize the importance of an independent press in a democratic society as media is called the fourth pillar of democracy. On November 16, the Prime Minister of India and other government officials congratulate all media persons on their professional holiday, commending their role in giving voice to the voiceless. National Press Day is the professional holiday for all reporters, editors, camerapersons and other specialists working in the media.

The Press Council of India was instituted on November 16, 1966, to monitor the quality of reportage provided by the Indian press.

The Press Council of India acts as a moral watchdog in ensuring that Indian journalists are not driven by any influence or external factors. After the Press Council of India was established on July 4, it started functioning from November 16. Though there are several press or Media Councils world over, the Press Council of India is a unique entity in as-much-as this is the only body to exercise an authority even over the instrument of the state in its duty to safeguard the independence of the press. Freedom of press and media is widely recognized in India. Freedom of the Press is nowhere mentioned in the Constitution. It is believed to be covered under the Freedom of Speech and Freedm of Expression. Hence, the rights of a common citizen are the same as the rights of a media or press house This year, National Press Day 2022 will mark the 56th anniversary of the Press Council's establishment. To celebrate National Press Day, the Press Council of India arranges various seminars and workshops to raise multiple issues faced by the Indian press, as well as to try to educate the citizens on various matters.

The Indian media has to face many challenges, and in recent years, these challenges have taken a massive toll on the proper regulation of news. Issues like the lack of transparency, getting bribed by the rich, major political influence, death threats to the media workers, and direct influence from major political parties are some challenges faced by the Indian media. These challenges question the very reason that the press exists, and thus is a massive threat to the democratic structure of the country.

Paid news is one of the most serious challenges to media. It is fundamental ethical media to be truthful and fair since a vast number of people will eventually see it and shape their opinions based on it. A media trial is a trial similar to a court of law in which the media house declares an individual innocent or guilty before the court's final judgment based on debates and discussions. Additionally, it results in the formation of beliefs in the minds of individuals, thus impacting the case's meritocracy. Awareness should be there in viewers to identify which journalist propagates one-sided view and does not identify the key issues at present.

Indian democracy has been experiencing a turbulent situation in recent decades. This has undoubtedly affected the media in the country. However, the lack of meaningful discussions about the condition of the media remained a constant phenomenon during the past decades. The silence of the civil society on media freedom has compromised the role media can play in a democracy like India. The media's political bias or absence of independent journalism never attracted any response from many sections of civil society. Transparency in the inner workings of Indian media organizations is diminishing resulting in the jeopardization of the media's reputation. According to the World Press Freedom Index 2021, with a score of 46.56, India has ranked 142 among 180 countries.

Inspite of all the challenges the media faces, they still strive to bring us the truth. If we wish to be truly free, our media needs to be free of any biases first, because it is the press who brings out the truth. The growth of a nation depends on how free its press is.

Pooja Maibangsa

Department Of Communication & Journalism

Gauhati University

Religious conversions

When the apex court of the country asks the Central Government to take steps considering forced conversion as a challenging issue, then the seriousness of the issue can be realized. Though the Constitution has guaranteed the religious freedom in the country which the top court too has accepted, but that does not allow the freedom for forced conversion. Such efforts are not only a challenge to national security but also hinder citizens' right for freedom of religion and conscience. The court has directed the central government to take immediate steps in this regard and file its reply by November 22 so that the matter can be taken up for hearing in the last week of the month.

There have been allegations for a long time that domestic and foreign agencies are trying to change the cultural character of the country through religious conversion. Especially in tribal and backward areas, such efforts are being carried out by trickery and money power. Actually, this crisis is also a question arising out of social and economic inequality in our society. The resentment prevailing in those sections of the tribals and the groups coming in the lower caste hierarchy who did not get the right to equality is made a weapon of religious conversion.

This resentment is also visible in societies plagued by ethnic pride. Illiteracy is also a major reason behind it. Undoubtedly, the efforts of mass conversion also change the social fabric over time. These efforts later become carriers of social conflict. At the same time, there is also a means of achieving political interests. This can later pose a challenge to national security as well. The court has also expressed such concern. Though in few states the laws to prevent conversions are already in rule, but that too have not proved its effectiveness in curbing the root cause of conversion. This is the reason why there has been a demand for an effective anti-conversion law at the national level.

Abhijit Roy

Jamshedpur

Team India's ignominious defeat

If the 1983 World Cup win was unquestionably the loftiest point and a watershed moment in Indian cricket that completely changed the face of it, the ignominious defeat against England in the semi-final of the just-concluded T20 World Cup can be said as an all-time low of the same. Though, arguably both are results of two different formats in different eras, it still compels and gives room to make such a comparison, considering the two extreme natures of the outcome. Meanwhile, perhaps two costliest mistakes that caused Team India's ignominious defeat in the semi-final against England - one, it managed only 38 runs in the powerplay with the archaic style of 'safety-first' approach that hurt them terribly. And two, not playing the premier leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and still persisted with the off-colour and out-of-sorts Axar Patel. Knowing well that traditionally leg-spinners are crucial to teams' fortunes in T20s, it is still a mystery why Chahal wasn't given a single opportunity to play in the World Cup. Both captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid owe an explanation to the Indian cricket fans on this critical point.

Ranganathan Sivakumar

Chennai

Freedom fighter Balwantrai Mehta

Balwantrai Mehta was an Indian freedom fighter who spent seven years in prison under the British rule. After Independence, he served as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Today, his memorial is a broken slab of granite, lying in obscurity. He was the second Chief Minister of Gujarat. He participated in the Indian Independence movement and later held various public offices. He is considered as the Architect of Panchayati Raj due to his contributions towards democratic decentralization.

Jubel D'Cruz,

Mumbai.