The inaugural ceremony of new terminal at Umroi Airport by Union Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi was a bit different. There was an advertisement in the local dailies which had the photograph of Vayalar Ravi and Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma informing the masses about the inauguration. The photo of the chief minister with a moustache in the ad perhaps dated back to his MBBS days. On the day of the inauguration, the public was awestruck to find that the same chief minister appeared with a clean shaven face, albeit several years older. The villagers who thronged the Umroi airport were heard giggling that the man in the ad photo looked so different in real life. It’s amazing that the those who put out the advertisement could not find the latest photograph of Dr Mukul Sangma. A strange case of then and now!
Streams in full flush
The ongoing monsoon rain has given much respite to the clogged streams in the town. These streams, which used to provide crystal clear water that could even be used for drinking purposes in the good old days have turned into a trash site for all kinds of wastes, including furniture and discarded mattresses. The heavy rain washed away the stream wastes, thanks to the force of the water. What this rain did in a matter of few hours, the efforts of the NGOs, though praiseworthy, might have taken days and months to achieve a similar level of clean-up. But the million dollar question is – where has all the rubbish finally landed! Obviously at the Umiam Lake which has turned into a giant dump – a sort watery grave for garbage! Who will save the
Umkhrah and the Umiam Lake?
Is this a case of climate reversal? After a long time Meghalaya has got that much needed rain which lasted nearly four days and filled the Umiam Lake quite a bit. All these years there were murmurs that climate change has reduced the quantum of rain in the State. Actually this phenomenon informs us that nature is very unpredictable. The only predictable thing are the floods in
Pynthor constituency and the annual SOS from the local MLA. The Polo areas are in spate mainly because of the rights of the Umkhrah River have been violated by encroachers which include the poor and the affluent. In fact the river has even been diverted at several points to allow the moneybags to build their commercial complexes! Now, many people feel that Meghalaya will need a big budget Flood Control Department. And they also say no guesses as to who the Department will go to! Funny people!
Does ATM cheat us?
A customer went to update his savings bank account passbook and found that Rs 100 had been withdrawn from his account from an ATM in Siliguri. After taking the matter up with his bank, he was advised to change his ATM pin. The customer said that his ATM remains in his possession all the time so he is surprised as to how his account got debited. He said the withdrawer was kind enough to withdraw only Rs 100 when he could have taken out the customer’s entire savings.
Several ATM customers have experienced similar episodes and have reverted to the earlier single window queue system, even though they admit that the ATM has simplified their lives. Surprisingly banks take no cognizance of such complaints because they believe the onus is on the customer to keep the ATM card in safe custody. A bank officer said many people working in offices send their peons to withdraw money from the ATM and give them the PIN No. This despite being told not to give their PIN No to anyone! So whose fault is this really?
SMS of the week
An SMS arrived at one of the reporter’s cell phone. It said: “25 paisa coins to go off circulation from June 30. Government feels they can’t handle one Anna, so there is no need for four Annas”!!!