Babus, dress code
Sir: District collectors of Bastar and Dantewada of Chhttisgarh state ran into trouble for wearing ‘’improper dress’’ while receiving the Prime Minister there May 9. Bastar collector also wore sunglasses. They were let off with a mild rebuff. Their families might be upset, as the government stopped short of shunting these officials out of the backward region. The young babus could have been a bit smarter. Instead of wearing blue and white coats, they could have presented themselves before the PM in saffron-coloured dresses.
Sankara Narayanan, BHUBANESWAR
Fake degrees
Sir: Resort to fake degrees is a serious problem that should be dealt with in strongest ways. It is reported that 777 Panchayat election candidates submitted fake degrees and two of them were arrested in Rajasthan. A teacher who had a fake degree certificate got a job in Jammu and Kashmir. A teacher elsewhere could not answer a question meant for Class IV students. We in Orissa are also sailing in the same boat. Several teachers in private colleges are not able to speak a correct sentence in English. It is also reported that teachers are teaching in classrooms with the help of a slip in hand. If this is the standard of college teachers, what to speak of the primary level teachers? Recently, some lecturers have been caught by the Vigilance Department for submitting fake degrees. Proper scrutiny of certificates is a must at the time of appointments.
Naresh Chandra Mandal, Prachi Nagar, Bhadrak
DQ, action
Sir: Recently, the government has decided to take strong action against those who have taken possession of more than one plot/flat under the discretionary quota (DQ) system. Many of those who were given such allotments did not occupy these plots/flats on their own, but did so after they got government nod. So what fault have they committed? Moreover, the respective authority could have checked their credentials and rejected applications that did not deserve allotment. If that was not done, the authority should take the blame, not the ones who got them. Officials have failed in their primary responsibility, and they are not questioned. No action is proposed against them either, even as this turned out to be a major scam. Meanwhile, the illegal occupants of Banafula Basti who took away government land without any sanction are being shifted to Raghunathpur transit camp to facilitate expansion of the city railway station. They are being offered a financial compensation. No stringent action is taken against them for violation of law.
Ramanath Jena, Rasulgarh, BHUBANESWAR
