Editor,
The Chief Minister had stated on Tuesday in the House that his government would like to give more teeth to the Meghalaya Residents’ Safety and Security Act. This is a welcome step in the right direction. If not mistaken this Act was framed right from the time when MUA regime was in power some four or five years ago and I am not sure why this Act is still hanging fire till date and what prevent Meghalaya government from fine tuning it by inserting appropriate amendments to make it a strong and viable Act. Why was this Act made to linger on for so long and make people of the state expect that something good is coming out of it? Till date the government is still working on the Act and only God knows when it will finally see the light of day and be implemented on the ground. The absence of such an Act means that Meghalaya residents are unsafe and insecure and are buffeted by heavy influx by outsiders. If the Act is really necessary then why is the government not spend its precious time in adopting the much needed amendments by plugging the loopholes and implementing it right away?
It is very sad that anything and everything that the government touches tends to lead to unnecessary delays. I appeal to the government of the day to be serious in its dealings and be specific and complete everything in a time bound manner especially in dealing with sensitive issues like the safety and security of the citizens of the state because Meghalaya faces heavy influx from outside, especially by illegal immigrants who are drastically changing the demography of the state. I also appeal to the NGOs not to call agitations at the drop of a hat and that demands should be reasonable and sustained. They should not take up bundles of contradictory demands which confuse the public.
Yours etc.,
Philip Marwein,
Via-email
Of film star in politics
Editor,
The resignation of actor turned politician Urmila Matondkar from the Congress comes as a big setback to the Party which is struggling to get set to a remarkable fight in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly polls. The actress has remarked that she’s quitting as she’s disturbed due to in – house politics. One really interested in politics must be ready to confront any sort of adversity, difficulty, distress and dilemma. In fact a person’s real caliber is shown when he/she is able to overcome these. Otherwise it is mere opportunism, plunging into politics just to grab the limelight. In the past too we have witnessed many glamour stars from the film world getting tempted and attracted towards politics, joining some political party and later fleeing from the arena.
Political parties must be doubly vigilant before giving memberships or ticket’s to such film stars as they remain just glamour dolls and do nothing .Once they get into power they neither do good for the people of their constituency nor do they work for the betterment of their party. They simply turn out to be a liability and when they find it difficult to get along with other party members they resort to fence- jumping only to find asylum in another. What they don’t understand is that by fleeing from one party or being defectors they are losing their public image and thereby getting tainted as faithless, dishonest politicians. They have to understand that their glamour can woo voters but it is not glamour that will stay in the hearts of the people but down to earth action and service done for the common man that will always remain and get them support from the party and the public. These star turned politicians should learn lessons from leaders like Sunil Dutt, MGR, Jayalalithaa and NTR who not only were stars on the silver screen but stars who carved a niche in the hearts of the people.
Yours etc.,
M Pradyu,
Kannur
Amended MV Act
Editor,
The recent amendment to the Motor Vehicles Act 2019 has now enabled riders to adhere to safety rules strictly and thus avoid hefty penalties levied in case of violation. We are also given to understand that the motive of such an amendment as enforced is to enhance road safety by inculcating a sense of road discipline and not to collect money through hefty penalties.
The amendment has also impacted most of the LTV riders including two wheelers and car users. Violation of safety rules related to not wearing a seat belt in a car is one of the penalties levied by the traffic police department. However it should be noted that the rule to wear seat belts should be enforced even with all categories of HTVs and public transport buses operating in various metropolitan cities. As the crew of the public transport buses have been entrusted to drive safely by not endangering the lives of passengers, it is now obvious that the drivers of public transport buses should wear the seat belts and drive in the best interest of passenger safety.
The government should insist that public transport corporations conduct audits of all the fleet of buses operating in metros like Chennai, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru etc. and help ensure that seat belts are fitted for the benefit of the bus crew members’ use and adherence. There is an urgent need to raise awareness to drive safely while wearing a seat belt in buses and HTVs alike. Hence public transport corporations should strive to ensure that all crew members driving buses within city, inter-city and airport shuttle routes are made to wear the seat belt mandatorily and drive the vehicle.
The move to enforce mandatory seat belts rule by public transport corporations for its bus drivers will help ensure passenger safety along with complying with road safety by the bus personnel.
Yours etc.,
Varun Dambal
Bangalore- 72