Friday, March 29, 2024
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Job, health and education crucial issues for Tura voters

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From Cosmos Sangma

TURA: The national narrative over dwindling employment opportunities for the new generation of youth appears to be resonating even in this western region of Meghalaya where voters will be queuing up outside polling stations on April 11  to decide their new representative who will speak on their behalf in the country’s corridors of power.
Tura town, the largest and most important town in the Garo Hills region of the state, lies on the foothills of the majestic Tura peak that legends say provides a sacred shelter or abode to the ‘Gods’.
Over 150 years old, its original name was Dura, named after a powerful goddess Durama-Imbama, but due to mispronunciation by the British it came to be called Tura.
The town has grown over the years and so too has the aspirations of its citizens, particularly the younger generation whose numbers are rising with each academic session while jobs are dwindling.
For most voters of this town, election to the lone parliamentary seat in Garo Hills is all about development as they speak out about the number of problems plaguing them and the need for immediate attention.
For many, particularly the rising youth population of the region, unemployment, absence of higher technical institutions and better health facilities worry them the most. For others, improvement of roads and tackling water shortage are priority.
“I am worried because the biggest issue we are facing is the unemployment of the youth. Thousands of talented young boys and girls have nowhere to go after their studies. A platform to address this burning issue is a must and I hope our MP will look into this,” says 26-year-old Waldri Sangma who is applying for jobs.
In the absence of employment opportunities, many of the youth are compelled to take up whatever is available in the job market.
“First is the need for good education, then employment and healthcare. These are issues not just for me but for any other youth of the state,” believes 28-year-old Ben Silvers who is self-employed and runs a successful recording studio at the backyard of his home in Tura.
The brain drain from the region, as more and more young minds leave in search of better opportunities in other parts of the country, also worry young business entrepreneur Pawan Prasad.
“Absence of more facilities in the education sector and better health facilities are compelling many to go outside either for studies or treatment. I would like to see this change,” says Pawan as he also points to the burning issue of water scarcity in most parts of Tura.
One of Tura town’s senior citizens, Sunil Das, who many know as the man who ensures that every reader gets the newspaper daily, would like to see better roads. “Tura is expanding and there is a need for improvement of roads,” says Das. Octogenarian Hiralal Prasad is of the opinion that water, electricity and beautification of “the most important town” is required.
One important point that was raised by Mihir Debnath was the absence of any high-level sporting institution in Garo Hills.
“We are not being able to tap the huge potential of our youth in sports because we do not have a stadium with equipment and trained coaches. Look at Manipur, they have been able to transform the power of the youth into sports which is paying rich dividends. I don’t think our youth are any less than their counterparts in Manipur or Assam. It is only the exposure and training that is missing,” believes Mihir.
Rising prices of essential commodities are a worry for daily wager E A Sangma who is a mother of three young children who tries to make two ends meet with the meagre pay she gets at the end of the day.
“If I don’t get a decent work for the day it becomes very difficult to put food on the table for my family. It gets more worrisome knowing that prices of basic food items such as rice, dal, eggs are only going up. I hope something is done about that,” says Sangma who hopes to see some transformation into their lives after the last votes have been counted.
One potential that remains untapped is tourism. Tura and vast areas of the region are blessed with tourism potential but lack of sufficient support from successive governments and absence of positive publicity has seen this sector suffer.
“The only news that used to trickle out from our region was militancy, extortion and killings. Nobody made an effort to project the better side of the story, in this case, the serene beauty of Garo Hills which is blessed with such waterfalls, orchids, wildlife and birds,” laments a group of recent graduates from Tura who are keen to join the hospitality business.
For these youngmen from different backgrounds and places such as Williamnagar, Tura and Chokpot, it is the cities that are calling because they realise their skills won’t work back home where tourism continues to linger in a nascent stage even after years of publicity identifying tourism as one of the emerging markets for employment and revenue generation in the state.

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