Editor,
Respecting the Christian beliefs, we agree that on earth we try to lead honest, upright, transparent lives and set ourselves as examples for the young generation. How will a festival, marriage, naming ceremony, birthday party, wedding anniversary celebration, watching HBO, Music Channels, or for that matter playing Rap music, attending a mela, going to Hydari Park, visiting Laitkor peak, going for drives on Sunday make anyone less Christian? The constitution of India preaches freedom of expression.
We feel questioning and dictating how people should live their lives on a Sunday is horribly wrong. It appears that groups, denominations and people have been imposing such views to illiterate, enslaved, poverty stricken people. There should be no challenge against each other. Instead what the Christian churches should do is to set examples by socially boycotting all corrupt politicians. The CAG report in Meghalaya listed a number of MLAs involved in scams, such as withdrawal of fake TA bills. We remember the report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Health Scam which indicted the then Health Minister of Meghalaya. What about the disproportionate, illegal and questionable wealth and income of so many Chief Ministers and Cabinet Ministers, including Members of Parliament, of Meghalaya? How could they have amassed so much wealth, some having served as mere government servants? The least the Church should do is set an example by ostracising such people from their functions. Sadly we find the ‘Christian Sunday’ preachers to be living in total denial.
Yours etc.,
BK Agarwal,
Shillong
Traffic jam
Editor,
I was travelling from Guwahati to Shillong on Saturday November 5. On reaching Mawiong at about 5.00 pm I was caught in an ugly traffic jam for two hours. The jam turned uglier when a police escort arrived and tried to squeeze into the already jammed road followed by other vehicles which tried to take undue advantage of the flowing convoy thereby creating more chaos. Such ugly scenes reoccurred after half an hour when an army brigadier’s convoy arrived at the spot, followed by another convoy of a state minister. The police personnel present at the site were helpless and had to remain silent spectators. I pity the traffic constables who had to stand in the rain and the cold. I was told that the traffic jam started right from 5.00 am and continued the whole day. One can imagine the misery of the police constables who had to perform their duties twenty four hours in the open in that inclement weather.
The next morning, I read the headline, “Who let the trucks out” in your esteemed daily. I pondered on the miseries that truckers have to face during their trips and how long it takes them to reach their destinations when they have to make way for small, nasty and belligerent vehicles that overtake them from right and the left. I also wondered whether truckers have equal rights or whether the road belongs only to the nasty, indisciplined small vehicles and army/police escorts? In fact it is the big vehicles which pay the maximum road tax, hundred times more than small vehicles.
My suggestion to the government is to take the toughest decision possible in this regard but after due consultation so as to arrive at the most effective and practicable solution. One of the most practical solution is to ban over-taking, let the flow continue even if it is slow. All types of vehicles even when occupied by VIP/VVIP and even military generals should be prohibited from exhibiting muscle power/gun power by brushing aside other civilian vehicles. Exemptions can be made for ambulances, disaster management operations, military vehicles during war and police vehicles when they are chasing thieves. Other excuses should not be entertained otherwise everyone will take undue advantage of exemptions.
Yours etc
BH Roy Lyngdoh,
Via email