Difficult lives

• Sir - The spectre of child labour will continue to haunt India unless the government plays a more proactive role in tackling the issue. The authorities should ensure that those who employ child labourers are brought to book. In India, it is illegal to employ a child below the age of 14 in hazardous occupations. But even then, one can see hundreds of children slogging away under the harsh summer sun. While some sell flowers at traffic signals, others work in illegal factories and so on. At a time when they should, ideally, be playing or studying, these children have to eke out a living. The State must look after their needs, so that they do not feel any compulsion to work. Every child should have proper access to food, shelter and clothing. They must also get an opportunity to complete their studies.

Md. Rustam Parwez,

Hyderabad

Abjure violence

• Sir - The violence witnessed in parts of North India during the Bharat Bandh is unfortunate. Some Dalit groups had called for the bandh. They were protesting against the Supreme Court's decision to read down the Scheduled Caste and the Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act ("Dalit anger erupts across states", April 3). In a democratic country, everyone has the right to protest. But it is also true that if democracy has to survive, then the rule of law must be upheld. One may not agree with the judgment of the apex court, but that does not mean that they can torch vehicles, block trains or destroy public property. Such acts go against the spirit of the Constitution.

Sadly, some political parties are trying to provoke members of the Dalit community. Many political commentators often criticize the Bharatiya Janata Party for promoting Hindutva. But what about those who practise caste-based politics? Are they not equally at fault? It should be the duty of every party to further national unity and interest. To fan communal and caste divisions is condemnable.

Mihir Kanungo,

Calcutta

• Sir - The editorial, "In anger" (April 5), was an incisive piece of writing. It rightly pointed out that the scale of protests by Dalit groups took the Centre and the state governments by surprise. There can be no justification for the violence and the acts of arson carried out by the bandh supporters. Here, I would like to highlight the demonstration carried out by farmers in Maharashtra last month. The peaceful way in which they carried out their agitation impressed one and all.

Quite tellingly, hardly any political party has condemned the use of violent methods by the demonstrators during the Bharat Bandh on April 2.

Shovanlal Chakraborty,

Calcutta

• Sir - The Dalit community faces a lot of discrimination. Not much has changed in Indian society since Munshi Premchand penned the short story, " Sadgati". He poignantly highlighted the issue of untouchability and other ills associated with casteism.

According to reports, a crime is committed against a Dalit every 15 minutes in India. Not only that, crimes against the community are on the rise. In such a scenario, the country does require stringent and effective laws to stop the atrocities. But having laws is not enough. We need political will more than anything else to ameliorate the condition of Dalits and prevent crimes against them.

Sujit De,

Calcutta

Tourist trouble

• Sir - The article, "Turning seasons" (April 4), by Anuradha Roy subtly raised the twin issues of global warming and water crisis. Moreover, the author highlighted how hill stations in India are getting spoiled owing to the uncaring attitude of a certain section of tourists.

In the age of social media, tourists are more interested in taking and uploading pictures of exotic locales. In the process, they fail to experience the real charm of those places.

I feel happy that I live in Gangtok. The M.G. Marg here sees tourists by the thousands every day. But dustbins are placed throughout the stretch and even tourists throw empty cups and packets in the bins. It stands testimony to the fact that with proper sensitization and arrangement, any place can be kept clean. Hills are nature's paradise, all one needs is some sensibility to enjoy them.

Subodh Jha,

Gangtok

Parting shot

• Sir - My office is in the Esplanade area, so I regularly take the Calcutta metro to report to work. Metro railway is still the fastest and the safest mode of transport to travel around the city. At one point of time, the Calcutta metro was even rated as the best metro network in the world. Sadly, things are not so hunky-dory anymore. Nowadays, trains no longer run on time and the station premises are not as squeaky clean as they used to be.

Moreover, many commuters have questionable standards of civic sense. For instance, they often behave rudely with one another. Some can even be heard talking loudly on their cell phones. What is even more saddening is that many a time, youngsters are seen hogging the seats meant for the elderly. They do not offer the seats even after seeing old, infirm men jostling for space in a crowded compartment. All this does not speak well of the people of our city.

Anisuzzaman Chowdhury,

Calcutta