Without basis

Sir — On December 11, a report in The Telegraph stated that a Mumbai police officer has “confirmed” that Mohammed Ajmal Amir Iman “was trained by Lashkar commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and Kafa among others” (“Graduation in terror in 222 days”). Apparently, this fact has come up in a statement that has been “attributed” to Ajmal. So, could we demand explanation from Pakistan on the basis of this news? No. Because the report has also clarified in the beginning that “no wing of the police has officially admitted putting together the statement that has no legal standing because it has not been recorded before a magistrate”. Why then should you carry a report, which has the potential to excite the people of India, based merely on the words of police officers who cannot even be named? And why put names of people and places from Pakistan, when the police have admitted that they have not put together the statement? This kind of journalism is both irresponsible and insensitive. Such reports can only pose a law-and-order threat and reinforce the common man’s distrust of the police.

Yours faithfully,
Sumitra Padmanabhan, Calcutta

Sir — It was shocking to read an unsubstantiated story on the front-page of The Telegraph (“Graduation in terror in 222 days”). The story is inadmissible as evidence and has not been officially given out by the Mumbai police — which means that they do not take responsibility for it. One feels terribly let down by such reporting in the media. Yours faithfully,
Ashim Choudhury, Calcutta

False promises

Sir — I would like to warn the readers of The Telegraph against the unethical business practice of a company called, www.ezeego1.co.in. In the last week of June, one of their executives assured me that an offer of 15 per cent cash-back for hotel bookings, using an ICICI bank credit card from their website, would be honoured after 45 days from the date of using the hotel services. I made a booking for mid-September. According to the terms of the offer advertised, I should have got back 15 per cent of the money by the end of October. But the company refused to pay me on the ground that the offer was valid only for bookings made until June 14, whereas mine was made in the final week of June. I traced the executive I had spoken to in the first place. She agreed that she had promised me, in the last week of June, a 15 per cent cash-back. Although she took up my claim with the authorities, they have, till date, refused to honour the promise. So, I have been duped without any recourse to legal action, as I have no supporting evidence to prove their fraudulent practice, the offer having been made through an advertisement on the website and confirmed only on the telephone. Hopefully, my experience will caution others from believing in any cash-back offers made by www.ezeego1.co.in in the future. Yours faithfully,
Jayanta Mitter, Calcutta

For a place in the sun

Sir — The Onges people, some of whom died after consuming spurious liquor in Little Andaman, are used to drinking alcohol, having nothing else to do as they continue to live on the Centre’s dole (“Poison blow to vanishing tribe”, Dec 12). They are one of the fast-dwindling primitive tribes of the world, along with the four other that live on the Andaman islands — the Great Andamanese, the Shompens, the Sentinelese and the Jarawas. The Jarawas have withstood pressure to join the mainstream and still live in closely-knit cocoons. But there are stray mishaps. In November, a Jarawa tribal died after a conflict with local fishermen, who went poaching into the tribe’s territory. There are now concerns about closing the Andaman Trunk Road, which passes through the Jarawa Reserve, to stop the tribe from being promoted as an object of tourism.

The Shompens have managed to keep themselves isolated. The Sentinelese as are hostile as ever to outsiders, while the Great Andamanese have lost their identity after assimilation with the mainstream. The demand for statehood for Andaman has to be understood against this complex set-up (“Andaman state cry in vain”, Dec 12). A legislative assembly would instil a sense of accountability among civil servants and administrative officials and help improve the quality of life of the people. Efforts have been made by Manoranjan Bhakta, the Congress member of parliament from Andaman, though so far his hunger strike has earned little more than assurances from the Centre. Yours faithfully,
Amit Sengupta, Port Blair, Andaman Islands

Sharp contrast

Sir — I visit my relatives in Ranchi every Durga Puja, and with each passing year, I am more and more impressed with the Birsa Munda Airport. It is a small airport, but very well maintained. Carefully tended gardens with bright flowers welcome the weary traveller. The ladies’ washroom is kept spic-and-span, and I can only presume so is the gents’. Recently, I saw a washroom attendant hurrying about to replace the toilet rolls, and then, with a spring in her step, went around polishing the already spotless trashcans.

Now if only such zest for work could be found in the authorities responsible for the maintenance of Ranchi’s roads. Not only is travelling in Ranchi unpleasant, it is downright scary. Even wide roads are congested due to encroachment by peddlers. Vehicles are parked indiscriminately at road shoulders. Heavy army trucks stop along the roads, making it difficult to walk safely. Add to this the blatant disregard for traffic rules and you have a recipe for disaster. Ranchi was once a beautiful vacation spot, attracting the likes of Rabindranath Tagore, and is now a state capital. Every effort should be made to return it to its glory days and enliven its current status. Only then will visitors come away impressed by more than just its airport.

Yours faithfully,
Nandita Ray-Sarkar, Johor, Malaysia