MyVoice: Views of our readers 6th January 2025

A harsh reality check for Indore

Indore, repeatedly ranked as India’s cleanest city, appears to have failed in addressing one of the most basic civic responsibilities—providing clean and potable drinking water. While crores of public money seem to have been spent on beautification and cleanliness drives, safe drinking water, which is integral to public health and true urban hygiene, has been neglected. Clean streets and polished rankings cannot compensate for contaminated water reaching households. Such window dressing may impress surveyors, but it cannot conceal ground realities for long.

This is not an Indore-specific problem alone. Cities like Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi and other cities suffer from similar contradictions—high on image, low on essential services. True cleanliness is not about awards or optics; it begins with safe water, reliable sanitation, and honest governance. Anything less is merely cosmetic. Of late media, except few, have failed to act as fourth pillar instead become fifth columnist and a megaphone of party in power. While praising clean city isn’t wrong but media has the responsibility to highlight reality on the ground outside cities.

N Nagarajan, Hyderabad

II

Apropos ‘Indore water contamination: conflicting claims on fatalities’ (Hans India; January 3, 2026). What happened in ‘India’s cleanest city’ is condemnable. Two things need to be done at war footing. Firstly, to correct the leakage, and secondly to pull up those responsible without fear and favour. They should be made accountable for the preventable tragedy.

Nothing is achieved by getting the count of those who perished or took ill right. Even one death caused by such a development cannot be condoned. Before rushing to get the death count right and indulge in blame game, the damage caused has to be corrected and measures initiated to prevent such inexcusable calamity in future.

Dr George Jacob, Kochi

III

This has reference to your editorial ‘Indore water contamination tragedy exposes urban decay’. Contamination of drinking water is not new to Indian cities, but the Indore incident that had resulted in the death of 11 people, and made another 1,400 residents sick, speaks of the callousness and indifference of the civic authorities.

Similar incident was reported in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar – fortunately there were no casualties as a result. The water supply system through pipeline calls for regular monitoring and immediate corrective measures lest people fall sick consuming contaminated water.

K V Raghuram, Wayanad

India should host 2036 Olympics

This is in response to the news item published regarding the efforts of India to participate in the bid for conducting Olympics in India. The cost estimation of conducting the mega event is estimated to be around Rs 64,000 crore. Considering realistic escalations and India’s infrastructure gap, hosting the Olympics could easily exceed one lakh crore rupees. Infact, India has a growing presence in global sports.

Indian athletes regularly compete at international events and have won medals.Our policies like Khelo India, Target Olympic Podium Scheme, National Sports Governance Act are strengthening the field of sports. So to go ahead should be our first priority

Chepuri Sreeram, Hanamkonda

It requires grit to play on rival soil

The Bangladesh Cricket Board’s refusal to travel for the T20 World Cup is a disappointing pivot from sportsmanship to brinkmanship. While security is paramount, using “political tension” as a wildcard sets a dangerous precedent that threatens to fracture the ICC’s central authority. If every bilateral friction dictates tournament geography, the “World” in World Cup will soon become a misnomer.

Cricket cannot thrive in silos; it requires the grit to play on rival soil. By seeking a neutral sanctuary, Bangladesh isn’t just avoiding a venue they are eroding the spirit of international competition. Is the pitch now a political podium?

Dr H K Vijaykumar, Raichur

Revise bank retirees’ pension

This is with reference to the report ‘ Bank staff threaten strike on Jan 27 ( Jan 5th ).. It is really surprising that the bankers are forced to go on strikes repeatedly on the demands already agreed to by the IBA last year. This only gives a wrong impression to the crores of account holders who feel that the bankers go on repeated strikes which in fact is incorrect.

At the same time it is the duty of the staff to properly receive the customers and politely attend to their issues.within a reasonable time. The staff have to know that the customer is a source of transaction and without customers there is no necessity for computers or a branch premises etc Lastly, the bank retirees pension is not revised since years and the IBA’s attitude is most unfair on senior citizens.

Katuru Durga Prasad Rao, Hyderabad