Fuel price, common man
Sir: Petrol and diesel have become an inseparable part of our daily life, as almost everyone has a vehicle to move about and around. However, a problem is that, unlike in the past, their prices are fluctuating. Within three years, fuel price has been hiked 10 times, and it is still being increased. Fuel price hike directly and indirectly affects all the major sectors like transportation, textiles, automobiles, agriculture and manufacturing. This affects the prices of essential commodities which are transported to markets on a daily basis. Increase in fuel price increases food price. This will have a more serious impact on the poor because poor households spend more than half of their income on food. The middle class is squeezed too. This might not have a major negative impact on government employees as their DAs will increase correspondingly. The business class, as also the services sector entities like taxis and autorickshaws would transfer the burden to the common man. India imports oil, and that makes it more expensive. The value of rupee in comparison with dollar is becoming weaker. Under the circumstances, what is advisable is that we use fuel judiciously and sparingly.
Narendra Raut, Shakti Automobiles, Semiliguda, KORAPUT
VVIPs, jail
Sir: Some of the major legal fights involving VVIPs are seeing sudden twists and turns, of late. Not just in the case of Bollywood actor Salman Khan, but in the case of AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa too, there were much suspense and in the end, at least for now, they emerged unscathed. Salman is moving an appeal, whereas Jayalalitha is faced with the prospect of an appeal being filed against a favourable verdict. Even the thinking of lesser mortals like us that a convict is required to have his or her freedom freezed for a period and serve sentence is proven wrong time and again. On the one side, those like Sanjay Dutt get leave, furlough, amnesty etc as per law, while there are hundreds of thousands of ordinary people who remain in jail without knowing how to make an application for the same. The high and mighty, once put in jail, will always have the excuse of a bail on the flimsy ground someone back home is unwell and needed to be attended to!
Dr Major Umacharan Panigrahi, Station Road, RAYAGADA
