Sir — As the dynamic former Indian opener, Virender Sehwag, said, the ability of the former Test captain, Anil Kumble, to boost the confidence of the players makes him an ideal candidate for the role of chairman of the selection committee. Sehwag has also said that the pay packet for the post should be hiked. However, questions of remuneration aside, Kumble may not think it advisable to take up the post, as it has been seen that the present captain of the team has more say in the selection process — not only of the players but even in the appointment of the coach and support staff. As such, it might be prudent for Kumble to wait for a more appropriate time to take on a job pertaining to administration and selection for the Indian men’s cricket team.

N. Mahadevan,

Chennai

Sir — One must appreciate Virender Sehwag for his ability to speak his mind. Never one to beat around the bush, he made it clear that he thinks Anil Kumble would be the right choice to head the committee of selectors. It is well known that Indian men’s cricket would flourish if people like Kumble, Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly had decisive roles in the selection process. But one must remember the ignominious manner in which Kumble’s stint as head coach ended in 2017. When his contributions as coach were ignored, would his decisions as selection chairman be honoured by the Indian captain?

Vartika Saini,

Calcutta

Gone forever

Sir — Recently, Iceland mourned the loss of the Okjökull glacier — the first glacier in the country to be killed by climate change. It is now just a shield volcano, with no glacial cover at all. If governments and corporations all over the world continue with their rapacious methods of ‘development’, all the glaciers on earth will vanish. Eleven per cent of Iceland’s territory consists of glaciers. Now, global warming is even affecting the glaciers in Antarctica. Unless stringent action is taken immediately, humankind must prepare for villages, towns and cities to be submerged.

Jang Bahadur Singh,

Jamshedpur

At long last

Sir — It was heartening to read that women in Saudi Arabia will now be able to travel and obtain passports without having to first take permission from their male guardians (“Saudi women’s travel curbs removed”, Aug 21). In this way, the Saudi crown prince, Mohammad bin Salman, seems to be taking his promise of reforming his country forward. For example, in 2017, he announced that he would allow movie theatres — banned in the 1980s during a wave of ultraconservatism in the nation — to be reopened. Increasing the employment rate among Saudi women is also one of the goals outlined in his Vision 2030 document. Now, the new set of rules loosening unreasonable travel restrictions on women might be a potential game-changer for the rights of adult Saudi women, who have for far too long been treated like second-class citizens.

S.S. Paul,

Nadia

Sir — While it is good to know that women in Saudi Arabia can travel more freely now than they could in the past, the nation’s record of violations of human rights in general and women’s rights in particular remains appalling. In the light of this, the efforts made by Saudi women involved in grass-roots women’s rights campaigns must be applauded and supported: it takes great courage to fight for one’s rights, especially when it poses a massive risk to one’s safety.

Shilpa Basu,

Calcutta

Good call

Sir — The action taken by the Indian Railways and the Lok Sabha secretariat against single-use plastic is commendable. The Railway Board has taken the decision to ban the usage of plastics below 50 microns, except when it hampers functionality, on its premises and inside trains. The Lok Sabha secretariat has prohibited the use of non-reusable plastic water bottles and other plastic items within the Parliament complex. The move is clearly aimed at promoting a plastic free office environment, but it should have been implemented long ago.

The focus should now be on encouraging the use of biodegradable materials and paper-based products. The Union government should also issue a directive to all its other agencies to ban plastic on their premises. Sectors which witness robust consumer activity, such as food and beverages, tourism, healthcare, hospitality, travel and consumer durables, should immediately enforce a ban on single-use plastic.

Raising awareness among citizens through the enforcement of bans will set a favourable precedent. Given the damage wrought by plastic on oceans, biodiversity and human health, this is one of the only ways to protect the environment.

Varun Dambal,

Bangalore