Hafta letters: Public transport, electoral rolls, Air India probe report

Jesal Parekh

Hafta #544 was great, especially the chat on infrastructure. India is going the American way, focusing on flashy highways, roads, and bridges instead of improving railways and smart public transit. Metros are being built, but often in smaller cities where they’re not needed, while buses and walkability are ignored. In Mumbai, metro fares are high, and funding for cheap BEST buses is being cut. Cities like Mexico City offer better models with affordable metro, bus rapid transit, and bike-share systems. India, sadly, seems to be making transit harder for common people.

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Goonj

Hi Team,

Hope everyone's well. Big supporter of your work. I just saw this report on Al Jazeera.

Looks like a big deal to me. What do you think? I think NL has only one report on it. Could you discuss this on Hafta and/or do more reports on it?

Apologies for the curt email; gotta respect the word limit.

Cheers,

Goonj

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Soumya

Hi NL team! My question today is for Abhinandan. 

Newslaundry has done a fantastic job in making Fight to Breathe a year-long campaign, because we know the value of clean air. Similarly, we all know the value of a free and fair election for a healthy democracy. Newslaundry, being a journalistic organisation, is doing a great service to improve our democracy. You did a wonderful job with your stories on electoral rolls. Will it not be a good thing to cover elections, just like the Fight to Breathe campaign? Keeping in mind the importance of elections, they must be covered by dedicating resources to them. If we improve our election systems, many things will improve automatically. Even Anna Hazare tried it, but the pushback was immense, and it fizzled out. Finally, please organise subscriber meets in other parts of the country also. Will love to meet you all in person.

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Methodman

I used to think that Hafta couldn't surprise me: I know your positions too well. But not in episode 545. Did I just hear Abhinandan/Shardool/Jayashree/Amitabh say that citizenship determination belongs to the MHA (hello NRC!), and that Aadhaar should be proof of citizenship? 

I found the discussion very superficial. Aadhaar is for benefits, and needs to be inclusive by design. Also, trust in the ECI comes from extending franchise and ensuring systems to prevent double-counting or outsiders voting. People have both suspicions.

The laziest arguments are "why Bihar", "why so hurried", "why so strict". Those arguments arise from mistrust, so they don't have good answers.

Regarding Shardool and the BLO verification: That is the state doing its job by taking responsibility for the documents. As long as the direction is towards inclusion, not exclusion, it's still only status quo or a marginal improvement, not a worsening.

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Gope Kumar Niya

Thank you for the conversation with Swati Chawla. Hearing her comments on the Tibetan people in exile reminded me of an interaction I had in 2021 with a gentleman from Doeguling Tibetan Settlement, located in Mundgod, near Hubli-Dharwad, Karnataka (often referred to as ‘Mini Tibet’). This person met me during the 50-year celebration of the 1971 Operations (Vijay Diwas). He mentioned to me that he had served in the Indian Army as a Tibetan soldier and had participated in two attacks against the Pakistani Army, which I found quite interesting. Further, he also told me that due to the (then) secretive nature of their engagement, they were not eligible for gallantry awards. Our listeners might find this trivia noteworthy.

Thank you all for the wonderful work you do. Best Wishes!

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Vishwaguru

The preliminary report of AI-171 was released to the public by India's AAIB near the midnight of July 12, 2025. There was no press conference and nobody got to ask them any questions. 

In addition to frightening the entire flying public, the report has led to a myriad of theories. Indian pilots jumping to defend their colleagues, Western pilots drawing scathing conclusions. 

All this while the AAIB has access to all information, i.e, the CVR Recording, the FDR etc, using which they can, at this time, at the very least say with conviction that theory X or theory Y is invalid. 

But no! They have taken a cue from Dear Leader. They are watching the pandemonium and the pain and fear, and still refusing to show mercy to the victims’ families by not having a press conference.

This is why we need NL and TNM. Jai Hind!

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Ezaz Ilahi

Dear Team,

I'm writing to highlight critical issues impacting medical interns in JK. The government recently agreed to a stipend hike, a matter pending with the financial department for two years. Simultaneously, the United Doctors' Front has petitioned the NMC to enforce a 48-hour weekly duty limit.

A concerning aspect is that foreign medical graduates must sign an affidavit renouncing protest rights to secure internships. This raises a crucial question: If stipends are delayed or duty hours remain excessive (currently, 24 to 48-hour shifts are common), how can interns advocate for their rights without protesting?

We urge you to investigate this situation further.

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