Andhra Pradesh

Heart-rending

This refers to “Youth busy on mobile gets killed in accident,” in The Hindu, dated June 17.

It was heart-rending to read the report of the accident. In fact, had he stopped his bike for a while, he could have saved his life. Though the Government and other organisations frequently remind the public of the consequences of using cell phones while driving, the public pays a deaf ear to their requests. Using a head-phone device while driving is also not safe. In my view, using cell phones while driving is more dangerous than driving without a helmet.

G. Jagannadh,

Anantapur

UGC member Prof. K. Ramamurthy Naidu’s pointer that the State does not have a single post graduate autonomous college (The Hindu, June 12) is a wake-up call to the State Government and to all the universities. It also shows ho w the State has failed to get funds from the UGC.

The picture is no different at under graduate level colleges. When there are thousands of U.G. Colleges in the State, private and Government, only 44 are autonomous ones. Out of these 44, only a couple of colleges are Government colleges, the rest are private. The Government’s hesitation seems to be the existing staff pattern, transferable throughout the State. This hiccup can be over come by selecting potential colleges, and posting only those willing to serve without any transfer. Also, financial incentives can be offered to them, including to the principal. If this problem is solved many potentional Government colleges like at Anantapur, Chittoor, Cuddpah, Warangal etc can become excellent colleges.

Dr. M. Onnuriah,

Nandyal

My wife and I travelled from Chicago to India via Frankfurt with a ten-day tour of Athens and Rome, mostly through Lufthansa airlines, except the travel from Athens to Rome and Rome to Frankfurt.

We came to Frankfurt on June 11 to take the confirmed flight by Lufthansa to Hyderabad.

However, we found that my wife’s confirmed reservation of June 11 to Hyderabad was cancelled. The explanation offered by Lufthansa was because the passenger did not take the return journey by Lufthansa from Athens to Frankfurt as per the schedule, Lufthansa understood that the passenger was no more interested in further journey. We got panicky hearing this as we had no Euros nor known anyone to give us food and shelter in Frankfurt. We suffered unimaginable mental agony. Added to this, my wife’s mother died a day before and the funeral service was kept waiting, expecting our arrival by June 12 morning.

How can the reservation be cancelled without prior request by the passenger when the gap from one sector to other sector journey is seven days (Athens to Frankfurt on June 4 ad Frankfurt to India is on June 11). How can it be considered a continuous journey when the two-way ticket from Athens to Frankfurt issued separately and not with conjecture of the main ticket.

I wish Lufthansa looks into this problem prints such an important matter on every ticket so that every passenger can be made aware of it.

Y. Bhaskar,

Kurnool

These are days of growing environmental concern. Certain unauthorised slaughter hoses located in residential precincts of Guntakal town cause environmental hazards and subject the residents to hardships.

Animal waste indiscriminately flung around engenders an offensive odour and proliferates germs.

The meat is transported, uncovered in improvised cycle-rickshaws, to the place of retail.

The authorities would do well to do away with these unhygienic practices.

N. Sadasivan Pillai,

Guntakal

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