School for scandal

Sir — The MIT School of Government is one of many similar institutes that have come into existence in India solely to make money by duping students (“MIT: M for misleading”, Nov 5). These take on names similar to those of renowned institutes in order to trick students. The idea is to give the impression that they are affiliated to the famous colleges or universities. Faking government approval by publicizing personal notes of congratulation from ministers and members of parliament is another common method adopted by these fraudulent institutions.

This is possible because of the lack of accountability and strict monitoring within the educational set-up. The government should ensure that the panchayat or municipality does not issue licence to any educational institute unless it obtains appropriate affiliation from government bodies like the University Grants Commission. Publication of letters of appreciation from individuals or bodies in advertisements and publicity campaigns should be made a punishable offence.

Yours faithfully,
G.C. Biswas, Calcutta

Sir — It is most unfortunate that our political leaders seek to gain cheap popularity by lending their names to various institutes without checking on their background or credentials. The sham perpetuated by the Maharashtra Institute of Technology-School of Government is a classic example of an academic institute making money through deceitful means. In the process, it plays with the future of students. The institute is neither affiliated to any government-approved educational body, nor does it provide placement opportunities to students after completion of the course. The political bigwigs in its ‘fan club’ should be asked to compensate the students who have been defrauded by the institute’s false claims of being endorsed by the human resource development ministry. This episode reminds me of the time in the mid-Sixties when there was a craze for foreign goods, which were not freely available in India. So some streetsmart operators started producing cheap and badly-made goods like multi-coloured ball point pens and labelled them “made in USA”. Only in this case, USA stood for “Ulhasnagar Sindhi Association”.

Yours faithfully,
A.S. Mehta, Calcutta

Strike hard

Sir — Strikes and bandhs, which disrupt normal life in Calcutta every few days, have given me an idea. All the political parties should come up with a calendar where they mark in red the days on which they intend to call a strike. The public would be able to plan their work and play accordingly, just like they do their weekends and vacations.

Bandhs on weekends do not serve their purpose of ‘immobilizing’ the state’. They create no economic disruption, traffic mismanagement and so on. Of course, they do earn the parties much kudos from the public, to whom weekend bandhs allow a few more hours of sleep in the afternoon.

Festive occasions are the next choice. Since most parties use religion to convey their political messages anyway, strikes on days of puja would be a likely vehicle to declare their outrage to the world. The advantage with Durga Puja is that it would allow the crusaders four days to spread out their activities and plan carefully. If people get disgusted, that would serve the purpose even better. Parties will at least have the satisfaction of having got themselves heard.

Yours faithfully,
Indrajit Chanda, Calcutta

Sir — While the concerns voiced by Satarupa Chaudhuri in her open letter against bandhs to Mamata Banerjee are appreciated, one wonders whether she would equally disapprove of a bandh called by the ruling party (“A Calcuttan’s open letter to Mamata”, Oct 31). Bandhs, irrespective of which party is calling them, are deplorable. Unfortunately, in West Bengal the trend has been to only protest against bandhs called by the Opposition.

Of course, it is also true that the Opposition outdoes the CPI(M) when it comes to declaring bandhs. However, there is total paralysis when CPI(M)-supported organizations go on strike and all the essential services are disrupted. When it comes to Opposition-declared bandhs, there is at least the option to choose to defy or support it. The CPI(M) bandhs do not leave us with any choice.

Yours faithfully,
Tanmay Bagchi, Calcutta

Sir — Residents of Calcutta suffered terrible harassment when Trinamul Congress activists blocked certain key intersections in the city, including the Howrah Bridge, to protest the goings-on in Nandigram. They took the law into their own hands and beat up the police. Celebrities and the intelligentsia — people who can effect change — chose to remain mute spectators to this collapse of social decorum in the name of political protests.

At a time like this, the media should support those who are brave enough to raise their voice against bandhs. Eminent persons from different spheres should express their views against the menace of bandhs.

Yours faithfully,
Benu Kumar Bose, Calcutta

Sir — Much was said against the bandh called by Mamata Banerjee on October 31. Surprisingly, there was no coverage of the road block put up by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions at Mecheda on November 7, which completely paralysed traffic on the busy highroad for more than six hours. Earlier in the day, another blockade choked the road leading to Contai from Nandakumar. All through the ordeal, the police conveniently turned a blind eye to the inconvenience caused to people stranded in the mess. Not a single reporter or camera crew was present. Perhaps they were busy finding out what Suchitra Sen was having for dinner.

Yours faithfully,
Arnab Banerjee, Calcutta

Parting shot

Sir — Over the past few days, I have observed the cutting down of sections of trees on Shakespeare Sarani. The project is called ‘Tree Trimming Project’, as the vans belonging to the municipality announce in bold lettering. I object to the unscientific manner in which the work is being executed. By cutting the tree from only one side, that is the one facing the road, its balance is clearly disrupted. Upon investigation, I was told that the branches of these trees were being cut for Kali Puja, so that they could be decorated with lights, and the taller idols could pass without being hit against their branches. As a conscientious citizen, the best I can do is write about it and hope that the matter will be taken up by the authorities.

Yours faithfully,
Rohan Jaikishen, Calcutta