Letters to The Editor — December 24, 2024

Centralisation push

A single election diminishes the role and priorities of the States and can only marginalise them. The drive towards ‘one nation, one election’ (ONOE) is to have India as a unitary, unidimensional, single-language nation, which it certainly is not. We are one because we are different. ONOE is essentially to dislodge regional parties as they appear to have stymied the Bharatiya Janata Party’s expansion moves. This push from the government leads to needless structural imbalance and a disruption of the concept of cooperative federalism. ‘One nation, one election’ is another step towards the centralisation of many aspects of administration and schemes. The ‘cost’ angle is unclear, as to date, the savings for simultaneous polls have not been quantified.

H.N. Ramakrishna,

Bengaluru

Rural employment scheme

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme is meant to eliminate seasonal unemployment in the agrarian sector. Put differently, the services of farmers/agricultural labourers during the lean season are utilised in the said scheme to create infrastructural assets in rural areas. It is disheartening that corruption plagues the scheme in West Bengal (Page 1, December 23). India is a federal country, and it is imperative that the Union government and States work in unison to ameliorate the economic condition of the poor in rural and urban areas. Politics, red-tapism and corruption are least expected in labour-intensive and socio-economic welfare programmes.

S. Ramakrishnasayee,

Chennai

Music season, safety

This time of the year, Chennai is busy with its annual Marghazi music season. City residents and non-resident Indians alike throng the numerous sabhas, enjoying music and the other performing arts apart from tasting exotic food items despite their being exorbitantly priced. But what is not so great about the situation is that many of the sabhas are not implementing the required statutory fire safety regulations, putting lives at risk.

Statutory fire safety regulations such as smoke detection systems and alarms, unimpeded passage ways, fire evacuation plans and strategies, and, importantly, trained employees to handle a possible fire outbreak, are conspicuously absent in many of the sabhas.

It is a common sight that when popular artists perform, people are allowed to sit on staircases. More chairs are brought in to seat more people, blocking all escape routes. The live kitchen adjoining the auditorium in many places is another potential fire hazard!

The authorities concerned should, in the interest of public safety, inspect the various performing centres and have the required fire safety protocols implemented immediately.

B. Swaminathan,

Chennai