Valley of the shadow of doubt Sir ? So Farooq Abdullah has decided to make the return of the valley?s natives less of a tug of war between them and the National Conference state government (?Farooq backtracks on Pandit return?, March 2). An enhanced relief of Rs 2,500 per family each month and the withdrawal of coercive measures will guarantee migrants stay out of the forsaken valley. This is probably what Abdullah had always intended. For despite appearances nothing much had been done to ensure the Pandits? homecoming. There might be government assistance for restructuring homes but there is no assurance migrants will regain their property, much of which has been taken over by squatters. No steps have been taken to make the Pandits feel comfortable at home. No channels of communication have been opened between the Hindu migrants and the Muslim residents in the villages and mohallas. No human rights bodies have been set up to take in complaints of violations of such rights. Does Abdullah really want the Pandits back? Yours faithfully, Ruchira Bhowmik, Calcutta Time for reckoning Sir ? The budget analysis this year was better than usual, more so because we chose a convenient time according to Indian standard time instead of Greenwich mean time.It is laudable that we are overcoming the ?mental block? with regard to the timing of the budget presentation in Parliament. The traditional time, followed earlier, was a legacy of the British raj. Some other steps should be taken to make the budget more memorable and pragmatic. Why do we not present the budget, say, on April 14 every year (paila baisakh) or any other convenient date after the end of a fiscal year, mainly because the fiscal performance for the entire year, that is, till March 31, can then be discussed. This will help Indians get the complete picture, as the finance minister can at best account for details up to January end in a budget presented in February. Moreover this particular year, if the practice is instituted from next year, the government can get 14 months to show or improve performance. Incidentally, the ?State of the Union Address? by the United States president is in January, that is, after the fiscal year end in December. I fail to understand how it helps India to present the budget in February every year. Besides, special economic zones should be created as early as possible ? as in China ? to boost exports and domestic industrial growth. These areas can have special laws ,which thus can facilitate speedy and timely implementation of ideas and projects. Budget 1999 is a definite shift in paradigm ? a shift towards simplification and better economic health for India. Yours faithfully, Gaurang Jalan, via e-mail Sir ? Criticism of this year?s budget from the opposition has been along expected lines. For instance, Jyoti Basu and his tribe would have described it as anti-poor even if Yashwant Sinha had announced every imaginable pro-poor scheme. What was not expected was the poohpoohing of the 1999-2000 budget by Manmohan Singh and P. Chidambaram. The impression these two former finance ministers sought to give was that they have all along had all the answers and could see far enough into the future to know that no good would come out of February 27. But had that been the case, the reforms process would not have stalled and government finances not been in jeopardy. Also, Chidambaram may remember that not much came of his dream budget. And of his maiden effort, the less said the better ? The Telegraph had rightly headlined its editorial ?Gowdaful??. As for Singh, he seems to have forgotten that he had offered to gift a billion rupees of the nation?s money to the Rajiv Gandhi foundation. At least Sinha hasn?t taken such liberties with public funds. Yours faithfully, Sanjay Ray, Burdwan Sir ?The Maruti Esteem advertisement on TV portrays the car as being so good that the father forgets to enquire into his son?s below par performance in mathematics. This advertisement fosters a negative image of mathematics. I wonder what message it sends out to children. Yours faithfully, Arun Rangachari, Calcutta Spot on Sir ? What happened at Eden Gardens recently should come as no surprise (?At Eden cricket hangs its head in shame?, Feb 21). In a city with no trace of discipline among the populace, where members of the public have taken for granted their right to act as they wish, where rowdyism and agitations are commonplace, incidents such as the one in Eden Gardens are predictable. It would be appropriate for cricketing authorities to ban matches from being held at Calcutta. One should realize that it is the arrogance and lack of sense of responsibility of Calcuttans that has ruined industry and hence, the economy, of West Bengal. Now it is cricket?s turn to be driven away. If Calcutta is to redeem its old glory, the police in particular can no longer afford to remain indifferent to the widespread indiscipline among the people. It is time the police became ruthless in enforcing discipline among the masses. Yours faithfully, Amal Vedajna, Calcutta Sir ? Despite being a fan of Sachin Tendulkar?s, I was extremely disappointed at the way the Eden Gardens crowd behaved following his dismissal after an accidental collision with Shoaib Akhtar. The spectators? crude overreaction ? they hurled things at the Pakistani cricketers ? disrupted the game. Luckily, the crowd could be brought under control by Tendulkar?s appeal. In this context, L.P. Sahi?s statement that Wasim Akram could have offered Nawaz Sharif the heart of all of India on a platter that could have been won at Eden Gardens is not justifiable (?Akram loses India, may win test?, Feb 20). Akram?s job is not to win hearts but the game. Since at Eden Gardens nothing but cricket was at stake, why would he attempt to win hearts? What message of peace and harmony did the Calcutta crowd have to offer Atal Behari Vajpayee to convey to Pakistan? Calcutta?s reputation as a sports loving city has been tarnished. This, at a time the Chennai crowd has earned itself a reputation by showing its appreciation for Pakistan?s performance that led to its victory over India. Yours faithfully, Yusuf Rangoonwala, Calcutta Sir ? The Eden Gardens crowd should not be condemned for not upholding the spirit of cricket. Rather, Pakistani players like Wasim Akram deserve condemnation for their lack of sporting spirit. As for Mohammed Azharuddin?s opinion that fans should realize the players are only human, why do people refuse to acknowledge that spectators who were victims of the lathi charge are also human? Since an umpire?s decision is not foolproof, the third umpire should have discussed the issue with cricketing officials. Then Akram would not have been blamed for not calling back Tendulkar. It is not Eden?s crowd that is to blame but the way the game was conducted. Yours faithfully, Sasanka Sekhar Pati, Bhubaneswar Sir ? Dilip Vengsarkar has been quick to criticize Calcuttans for what happened at Eden Gardens. But was his attitude similar towards the Shiv Sena chief, Bal Thackeray, when the latter?s men dug up the Ferozeshah Kotla pitch in Delhi? Either Vengsarkar was too scared to react similarly or he has one set of standards for Calcutta and a different one for Mumbai. Incidents such as the one at Eden gardens are not rare during sporting events. But the Pakistani players were completely safe in Calcutta. Would they be so in Mumbai? Vengsarkar should think before he makes such comments. Yours faithfully, Manoj Kumar Goswami, Calcutta Letters to the editor should be sent to: The Telegraph 6 Prafulla Sarkar Street Calcutta 700 001 Email: the_telegraph_india @newscom.com Fax: 225 3240/41