It is amazing that major issues confronting the nation are held in neglect by the people's government, which promised a change in its manifesto at the time of the election. We remain in the grip of massive corruption and no efforts are underway to contain its heart-rending effects on the man in the street. The Prime Minister, instead of allowing relief in the prices of oil products, as cost of crude oil in the international market has substantially gone down, has actually allowed enhancement of the rates. This is an out of the blue shock for the general public, which is already reeling under the weight of high cost of other consumer goods and utilities bills. Now with the increase of gas prices, cost of power generation as well as industrial and fertilizer production will increase, which will consequently affect every household in the country. The ones most affected will be the poor and middle class stratums whose source of income is limited. -MARIA AYUB, Karachi, via e-mail, February 13.