Mailbag

Fighting injustice

Sir,

This is a true encounter which I am going to mention here. Somedays ago when I was coming from Udhampur to Jammu, the conductor of the bus No. JK-7185 in which I was travelling started to charge extra fare from each passenger in the bus, when some of us protested against this, the conductor not only mis-behaved with the passengers but continued to charge extra fare. In favour of his illegal act he produced fake rate list. To teach him a lesson and also the driver of the bus who fully supported bus conductor misadventures, we stopped the bus at by pass Nagrota and took the conductor to the Traffic Police Post there and lodged our complaint against the Bus No. JK-7185. The Conductor and driver told them whole story in detail. The Traffic Police personnel on duty listened our complaint patiently and after that they fined Rs 3500/- to bus No. JK-7185 for illegally charging extra fare and also running stereo in the bus. The traffic police personnel fully co-operated with the passengers by teaching the driver and conductor a very good lessons.

By bringing this incident into the notice of common man who mostly suffer this kind of injustice, all I want to say is that we must make a loud noise against any kind of injustice.

Yours etc....
Ravinder Singh
Jammu .

Release arrears

Sir,

When injusitce surpasses the confines of human endurance the sufferer searches for shores to get himself out of the ocean of miseries. This universally accepted maxim holds good for the pensioners especially for the pre-1.4.1987 pensioners whose pensionary emoluments amount to a pittance in terms of money value their pensions carry. With the passing of each day the element of humane-ness in human society, the most wise creation of the Lord, gets eroded and the day may not be far off when conscience of God's best creations will totally disappear and the man will be no more than an animal because justice and fair-play have taken back seat in the working system of human beings. In this context it is appropriate to ascribe such kind of mind to the State Government which it has developed in relation to its ex-employees. As we throw off worn out clothing and give up its care because they, in that condition, are of no use to us, similarly our benign State Government treats its pensioners particularly those belong into pre-1.4.1987 period, most shabbily. The State Government knows full well that pre-1.4.1987 pensioners are in the age group of over seventyfive and their physical incapacity shall not allow them create problems for the Government, it has no time to look into their immediate needs. Some kind of physical incapacity remains a constant companion of all such pensioners and they require regular medication.

If dearness affected the Central Government pensioners and the Central Government sanctioned the DA upto 37 percent in favour of its pensioners, does not the inflation have similar impact on the pensioners of the State. I implore the State Government that it should not take the pensioners as dead wood and treat them uncannily. These pensioners have given their youth to the public service and they deserve to be treated most befittingly. They should not be ignored for grant of DA due since 1.1.1999 and the arrears that are pending with the Government to make them stand in good health. It is the sacred dictum of the Hon'ble Supreme Court pronounced in the famous case of D S Nakara and others V/S the Union of India No : 5939-41 of 1980 dated 17.12.1982 wherein in para-26 of the said order the Supreme Court has unequivocally said ''we owe it to them and to ourselves that they live, not merely exist.''

Could the State Government awake from its deep slumber and do its duty and prove that it is well versed in good governance of the State.

Yours etc....
R K Sher
Jammu.