Green murder

Sir — It has been reported that the Jammu and Kashmir government seized over 30,000 square feet of timber and booked nearly 600 timber smugglers last year. The authorities also confiscated the vehicles used by the culprits. Wood smugglers have devastated large stretches of forests in most parts of the country. Having exhausted their supplies elsewhere, they have now turned their attention to the forests in Kashmir. The state government must come down heavily on these criminals before they destroy Kashmir’s forests.

Yours faithfully,
A.S. Mehta, Calcutta

Battle cry

Sir — K.P. Nayar hit the nail on the head in “The lonely campaign” (Feb 27). The history of financial irregularities involving the purchase of defence equipment goes back to earlier times. Tongues had wagged over the questionable methods employed by V.K. Krishna Menon to purchase army jeeps from an overseas firm in 1948. Similarly, the purchase of HDW submarines in the early 1980s gave rise to allegations of graft, while the Bofors scandal eroded the credibility of the Rajiv Gandhi government and contributed significantly to the Congress’s defeat in the general elections of 1989.

If the defence minister, A.K. Antony, can weed out corruption successfully, then it would spare the country from a common scourge that affects numerous sectors. Additionally, it will help the Congress reap enormous political capital. But the defence minister has set for himself a serious challenge. If he wants to succeed, he has to proceed by employing a combination of personal tact, administrative skills and political will. Vested interests will put hurdles on Antony’s path, given the huge sums of money that are involved.

Secrecy is a central feature of the negotiations over global armament deals. Security and national interests are cited as legitimate reasons for maintaining the secrecy. Consequently, strict regulations and accountability are given a miss, even though they can go a long way in thwarting graft.

Hopefully, Antony will find numerous well-wishers in his crusade against corruption. The change that Antony desires is worthy of approval and is in conformity with the Mahatma’s message.

Yours faithfully,
Ranajoy Sen, Calcutta

Real hero

Sir — During the Chennai Test, India were tottering at 194 for the loss of 4 wickets. Sachin Tendulkar’s dismissal brought the Indian skipper, M.S. Dhoni, to the crease. (“Awesome Dhoni proves a point”, Feb 25). Tendulkar and Kohli were trying to rebuild the innings, but the fall of the master’s wicket forced Dhoni to play differently. He smashed the Australian bowling attack to pieces.

Dhoni could not have asked for a better partner than Kohli. They ran between the wickets very well, converting singles into twos, and twos into threes. I think Dhoni’s knock will force his critics to eat their words. Dhoni had taken India to glory on numerous occasions. Under him, India had won the world cup and become the top Test side in the world. Dhoni had been criticized heavily after losing the series against England at home. Instead of supporting him, Indians chose to censure him in his hour of need. In India, people seldom know how to respect a hero. Dhoni should continue to lead the side. He remains composed during a crisis. Occasionally, he takes a wrong decision but learns from his mistakes.

Yours faithfully,
Rupam Bhattacharjee, Krishnanagar