They deserve better
Every time I hear or read about the helplessness and plight of hapless migrant workers, my heart goes out to them (Page 1, ‘Special’, “Weary workers lug crashed hopes en route their homes”, May 10). Have migrant workers come to a state of being despised by their host States and disowned by their own home States? Millions of them have given their ‘blood, sweat and tears’ to build structures, mansions, and ‘concrete jungles all over the country. Conscience and gratitude demand that the Centre and States draw up schemes to address the agony and distress of migrant workers who are the invisible and least recognised builders of India.
C.G. Kuriakose,
Kothamangalam, Kerala
Liquor revenue, sale
It is bemusing that a State government which is expected to espouse the cause of welfare of its people is now moving the Supreme Court to permit it to sell liquor on the grounds of reopening the economy (“TN moves SC against HC order on liquor shops”, Page 1, May 10). Can the State government inform the top court that its main revenue depends on revenue from the sale of liquor? Also, can the State assert before the Court that but for the sale of liquor the State economy cannot be rebooted?
While there are many avenues to reopen the economy, having Tamil Nadu cling on to issue of the sale of liquor is obnoxious. Further, it should be noted that the Madras High Court did not opt for a total ban of liquor sale and had also perhaps noted a failure to maintain law and order and control overcrowding, enforce social distancing and other lockdown norms on the days when government liquor shops opened.
Manoharan Muthuswamy,
Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu
The suggestion that there be online sales, and subsequently, I would think, the home delivery of liquor during the lockdown to facilitate physical distancing simply put means this: that what is consumed beyond the gaze of family may now invade the home where there are bound to be all age groups. Youngsters may be tempted to taste liquor out of curiosity and then develop it into a habit.
There was a liquor-free period which will now be unlocked in an abrupt and strange manner. The judiciary should advise States not to lift prohibition till there is an end to the pandemic.
V.N. Gopal,
Chennai
Baggage identification
The article, “The thief that was not to be” (Open Page, May 10), made me nostalgic about my many air journeys. I always found the most difficult part of my journey to be in identifying my baggage from the conveyor belt. I generally used a black suitcase. Once while returning from Abu Dhabi, my smart plan of tying red and green ribbons on my suitcase almost resulted in grief. I was shocked to see three black suitcases of the same dimensions, and with red and green ribbons on the conveyor belt, moving at high speed. After a while, two ribboned suitcases disappeared.
After I noted that the remaining box was not mine, I ran after the two passengers. One of them turned red faced and after much checking, we were reunited with our boxes.
D. Sethuraman,
Chennai
