Editor,
Apropos the letter written by James Pariat (ST June 30, 2011) I totally disagree with the allegations he has made against the inefficiency of the Traffic Police in Shillong. In fact, I would like to mention here that the traffic management has really improved now. The Traffic Police is one of the most visible departments of the Government. We find traffic personnel in each and every juncture of Shillong who are really helpful towards the public with their directions. They are very disciplined and well trained to manage the traffic efficiently, especially during peak hours. Nowadays traffic is always on the move; we don’t need to wait for long hours to move from one place to another. Moreover the updates that we get on the radio and the internet are really helpful. They enable us to avoid the congested places and take a separate route, to reach our destination. The traffic scenario is so far, much better than any other state in the North-east according to what I have experienced. Driving has really become easy with the improved traffic management in Shillong. Lastly I would like to congratulate the Traffic Police for managing the traffic so well during the floods on 29/06/2011.
Yours etc,
David Diengdoh
Shillong -14
Insurgents or terrorists?
Editor,
The news of GNLA’s ultimatum of blowing up public places is shocking, to say the least. If it happens, this Garo insurgent group will cease to be called an insurgent group henceforth. Correct me, but aren’t insurgents known to largely target state establishments? But, by threatening to damage places where the common man walks freely, the GNLA is doing more damage to its credentials. I detest and condemn such a threat from GNLA and hope all like minded citizens would do the same. I would appeal to the GNLA to retain its agenda of fighting the system as it always did. Like warriors!
Yours etc.,
Silver Dkhar,
Via email
ST down the years!
Editor,
I am a regular reader of The Shillong Times since my college days. Local English dailies had come and gone; criticisms against The ST had gone up and down, yet I have always remained faithful to the paper. But I have a few observations to make. For quite a long time The ST had become stale and boring to read except for some breaking news headlines. In the front page, we are greeted with a quarter page advertisement alongside other news headlines. Secondly, there is not enough news on world events and half of the page is again occupied by advertisements; the rest is bizarre news. Thirdly, in the sportssection, we find that one full page is devoted to cricket for reasons best known to the editor. There is very little coverage of local sports. These are the reasons why most people had to buy one vernacular daily and a national daily along with the ST as reading supplements. But lately I have seen some changes. More local news has been included and the most recent welcome addition is the section on news related to health issues and advances in technology. This is a welcome step since technology rules our lives today, and, health problems have become linked to modern lifestyles. There is no denying the fact that advertisements generate revenue for the paper, but I would suggest that one page should be kept separate for the ads. Nevertheless, I hope that with time, the ST will learn to adapt to the tastes of its various readers. All the best!
Yours etc.,
M. Lyndem,
Via email