Letters from the past

Gulf News looks back over the years at concerns and issues raised by readers in their letters to the newspaper. It's a retrospective that offers an insight into the community, the development of the country and the people. This week's letters are from 1981.

Undiscovered talent
With reference to Gulf News' article ("New Delhi moves to stem brain drain", Gulf News, June 4), I would like to express my ideas. "Why not come home, for your country needs you" — the quote from Indira Gandhi, [late] Prime Minister of India, is entirely hollow.

If she does want good professionals, scientists, doctors, engineers and technicians, she can get them from Indian employment exchanges in the hundreds and thousands from all the states in India, every year.

What is the population of India? How many people are educated every year? How many are listed in the employment exchanges every year, for decades? How many are still, even today, on waiting lists all over India?

The statement, "We will look after you, until you get a job in India," indicated that she is not sure that she would be able to guarantee a job for the people who live abroad. India received its independence in 1947. What has the Indian government done for the professionals working abroad? Nothing.

She is ignoring the fact that talented and professional people will be more or less jobless or paid low salaries in India. My advice to Indira Gandhi is to select all that she requires from the waiting lists in the employment exchanges throughout India. I think that she would be able to get even better professionals than the ones that are abroad.
From Mr Ch. Balachlnnaiah
Dubai

Inflated prices
Even for an average educated man, his daily newspaper is as vital as his breakfast. The importance of newspapers as a source of information concerning paramount issues is now being realised more than ever. Newspapers also have an important role in educating the public. It is, therefore, imperative that newspapers be priced reasonably so they could be available for everyone.

To cater to the different nationalities here, newspapers and periodicals from other countries are flown in by agents and are priced unreasonably. The agent importing Indian newspapers and periodicals has recently increased their prices. The Times of India, whose original price was Dh1, is now priced at Dh2.

The Illustrated Weekly of India is now being sold at Dh4. Similar increases in selling prices are levied for all reading material imported from India by the agent and one cannot find a justification for this alarming and unreasonable increase. True, airfreight charges have gone up but not to the level as to enforce a 200 per cent increase in selling prices.

I do not know how the Indian reading community will react to this, short of stopping from reading them altogether.
From Mr P.R.S. Nair
Abu Dhabi

Safer roads please
I wish to add my voice for a more rational approach to the increasing number of innocent lives being claimed by drivers on our roads every day. The terrible road deaths in Sharjah are but a reminder of what seems to be fast becoming a national institution.

There are many cars on our excessively congested roads. Driving at high speeds in city centres and crowded streets is becoming a pastime that appeals to many drivers. To aggravate an already serious situation more and more youths are seen everywhere speeding in large and fast vehicles.

How they get past the driving licence authorities when much older and seasoned men fail the test time and again is worthy of consideration. The present law ought to be revised and stiffened to make the roads a safer place. A complete and indiscriminate ban on all drivers below a certain age is more than warranted.

Also, there should be greater vigilance and stricter enforcement of the law by traffic wardens. Reckless endangering of peoples' lives is a serious matter and ought to be curbed. The authorities are no doubt aware of the importance of educating drivers and the public.

In fact, there is already a weekly radio programme to that effect, and a symposium on road safety is due to be held later. This ought to be given the widest possible coverage by the media in order to generate interest and promote greater public awareness, in the hope that sanity shall prevail in the end.
Mr S.M. Mubarak Al Mansoura
Sharjah