CDS not the answer

Sir, - The compulsory deposit scheme (CDS) introduced in 1963 during the Chinese attack by the then Finance Minister, Morarji Desai, did not meet with success. Likewise, the CDS now suggested by the BJP to raise resources for the Gujarat earthquake relief operations will not be received well. The better way to mobilise funds is to float bonds, similar to the Indira Vikas Patra which are now sold to individuals, carrying no details of the purchaser in higher denominations with a small per cent as interest or interest free repayable after a long duration.

N. Venu Venkatavasan,

Chennai

Sir, - The earthquake in the Bhuj region has triggered off several reactions from geologists and geophysicists at home and abroad. The crust of the earth has been construed to be made up of numerous blocks which are called plates. Plate tectonics essentially deals with the movement of the plates, and explains the various geological events like generation of magma, volcanic activity and earthquakes. The several plates are considered to be in close contact with one another. The feature to be highlighted is that there is no gap in between the several plates. But in the seismically vulnerable region of Bhuj, it appears that igneous activity, probably initiated at depth, has in turn reactivated displacement along the already existing faults. It is pertinent to note that the area of Gujarat, Kutch, Madhya Pradesh and Central India had witnessed igneous activity in the form of volcanic eruptions, in the geological past.

That event lends support to treat the Gujarat region to be vulnerable to the renewal of igneous activity at depth, its surficial manifestation being the recurring earthquake pulsations in Gujarat, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

N. W. Gokhale,

Dharwad

Sir, - Amidst reports in the national press castigating the role of RSS and VHP volunteers engaged in the relief operations in Gujarat, here is a version as narrated by one of the survivors who could manage to reach Chennai. Within an hour of the holocaust that shook Bhuj, volunteers appeared on the scene and went about providing relief operations without the aid of requisite tools and machinery. Surviving on tea, the volunteers toiled for 20 hours a day even as the Government machinery was struggling to reach the place of tragedy. When the entire town started stinking, the volunteers helped remove the decomposed bodies with bare hands. This particular survivor learnt finally that the volunteers belonged to the RSS and VHP.

S. Srinivasa Raghavan,

Chennai

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