The new environment minister has her task cut out

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The new environment minister has her task cut out

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Valmik Thapar rightly suggests the new environment minister must turn her attention towards wildlife and forest conservation (Natarajan’s challenges, July 20) and also reform her ministry. Jayanthi Natarajan should propose suitable amendments to the existing environment laws and personally oversee their proper execution. There is also an urgent need to make an advisory council on environment for better coordination among the Centre, states, NGOs and independent experts on wildlife and forests.

AS Malhotra, Delhi

This debate’s going on for ages

As a former army officer, the reports on the age controversy sorrounding the army chief has disappointed me (Ministry steps in, army chief will retire next year, July 22). It is shocking that the army chief is not issuing any statement to quell the controversy. I am sure he also realises that the entire dispute is futile. If it were a low-rank officer in his place, he would have been expelled from the army by now. An officer’s age is mentioned in the various forms he fills at the time of joining the armed forces. Why is nobody crosschecking the chief’s age from the army records?

Kanwaljit Singh, Chandigarh

The UPA must repeat history

Nayanjot Lahiri in her article Taxila to Noida (July 22) gives an interesting, historical perspective to the ongoing debate on land acquisition. She rightly argues that if the mighty Mauryas could consider people’s interests while planning their cities, so should the UPA government. Both state as well as central governments deserve the blame for the ongoing farmers’ agitation in Noida. We must get our policies on land acquisition right at the earliest. Moreover, it is not only about the farmers who have lost their land. It is also about the thousands people who have paid up for their flats.

BR Bhandula, Delhi