Justified fears
Sir — Top technology companies are competing to build robots that can best mimic human behaviour. But China seems to have gone a step too far. A Unitree humanoid robot was recently seen begging on the streets of China for donations to pay off its electricity bill. The machine was on its knees with folded hands with a donation tray and a QR code for receiving digital alms. Such innovation attracted donors who may otherwise not be inclined to give money to a human beggar. A robot imitating the act of a vulnerable human is quite dystopian. Humanity’s fear of robots taking away jobs is not misplaced when robots become good at imitating even the jobless.
Vidushi Bhat,
Jammu
Be humane
Sir — The appeal to hawkers by the chief minister of West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari, to vacate encroached pavements is a well-intentioned measure. It is a step towards reclaiming public rights over pavements and civic amenities. But the eviction drive against hawkers at railway stations across the state has led to the loss of their livelihoods. This may force them to resort to unlawful means to make ends meet.
Before undertaking any large-scale eviction drive, the government must prepare a road map for rehabilitating and relocating the street vendors. Merely directing them to shift to an empty location will be futile without the assurance that the alternative site is conducive to their businesses remaining viable. Administrative action should not be arbitrary and repressive. The authorities must adopt a humanitarian approach towards hawkers.
Rajib Sarma,
Calcutta
Sir — The debate over street hawking often oscillates between heavy-handedness and wilful tolerance. Illegal encroachment of public spaces by hawkers inconveniences pedestrians and undermines civic order. Yet hawkers remain an integral part of the urban, informal economy, providing a flexible and negotiable marketplace for the middle class, unlike shopping malls where prices are fixed and affordability is limited.
The solution thus lies not in evicting street hawkers but in long-term policymaking that integrates hawkers into the mainstream economy. Street vending should serve as a stepping stone to upward mobility and not remain a generational occupation. Ensuring hawkers’ upskilling, providing educational support for their children and formal banking access can protect vendors from debt traps.
A.K. Mookherjee,
North 24 Parganas
Sir — It was a surprise to see the former chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, hitting the road in protest against the eviction of hawkers. During her 15 years in power in the state, her regime could not rehabilitate hawkers; rather, it allowed the illegal encroachment of roads and lands. Banerjee now taking to the streets does not absolve her regime of its corrupt practices.
Mihir Kanungo,
Calcutta
Dry year
Sir — The India Meteorological Department predicted that there is an 84% combined probability of below-normal or less rainfall this year. India’s passive approach to climate resilience is alarming. The agriculture ministry has identified 12 states as facing severe agrarian threats due to the El Niño phenomenon. When insufficient monsoon rains are expected to trigger food inflation and drain critical reserves, mere planning will not be enough. The government should ration groundwater, undertake crop diversification and overhaul infrastructure in high-risk states on a war footing.
Vijaykumar H.K.,
Raichur, Karnataka
Three in a row
Sir — Congratulations to the Argentine football legend, Lionel Messi, for scoring his maiden World Cup hat-trick against Algeria (“Older, freer, more lethal than ever”, June 18). This puts him on a par with the record of the German forward, Miroslav Klose, who has the highest number of World Cup goals in men’s football: 16. We wish him many more laurels in the ongoing tournament. Messi is the greatest footballer of the present era. But fans will always remember Brazil’s Pelé, the sport’s first ‘greatest of all time’. His brilliance, including the bicycle-kick goal against Belgium in 1965, remains unparalleled.
N. Mahadevan,
Chennai
Sir — The world has gone into raptures over Lionel Messi’s stupendous hat-trick in Argentina’s opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. At 38, Messi’s remarkable abilities seem only to have grown with age. Messi’s game has always been defined by finesse, bringing an artistic quality to football. The former Argentine footballer, Jorge Valdano, summed Messi up best: “Messi is the best. The second best is Messi injured.”
Ranganathan Sivakumar,
Chennai
Sir — In Argentina’s victory over Algeria, Lionel Messi stole the show, once again, with a brilliant hat-trick. It is a confident start to Argentina’s World Cup campaign as the defending champions set their sights on another title. With this performance, Messi has reminded the world that
his legendary story is far from over.
Jishi R.,
Kollam, Kerala
