Penalty boomerang

Letter to the Editor

Recently the Supreme Court slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on the Delhi government for failing to clean up the Yamuna. Again, the Delhi Government announced its new "slum policy" which reiterated "old" policy wherein land-owning agencies have to pay for slum clearance from their land, partly as penalty for failing to protect it from encroachments. The principle of penalising the government for failures in public interest is all right. Are the penalties to be paid out of the salaries and perks of erring government servants for its interests not having been served? Does this not amount to punishing the victims?

Gita Dewan Verma, Delhi