My letter to TOI

I was lucky enough to get my first letter to the editor of the Times of India published on the 13th of April 2005. I hope you take interest in it and for sure leave your comments.


E-way Bashing
This is with reference to your report, “Caution to the wind” (TOI, Apr. 3). Every article that comes up about the Pune-Mumbai expressway is negative to the extreme. It is time you took a break from the usual mudslinging at the expressway authorities.
I am a frequent traveller on the expressway and see nothing on the road that would come up as dangerous. If you observe the picture accompanying your report closely, you will find that there is no need for a diversion there, which indicates that the signboard was put up temporarily and even appropriately to avoid confusion. Every road needs maintenance, especially before the monsoons. Then why the distrust? If the exact reason for why certain roads were blocked is not known, then why infer that the authorities are not bothered. Why the pessimism?
According to statistics, more than 90 per cent of the accidents on the expressway occur due to the mistake of the driver: he is either catching 40 winks in the wee hours of the morning or is too drunk!
Instead of always jumping to conclusions about what the expressway authorities have not done or have done wrong, why not try and applaud the efforts of the alert Delta Force, or the installation of green plastic dividers in the ghats that cut out the direct beam of light from oncoming traffic, or the main advantage of a safe and fast journey?
— Sandnya Deshpande, Pune