Editor,
On the one hand the management of State Bank of India is struggling hard to survive in this globalized and competitive world by introducing innovative ideas such as “Bank on Wheels” to facilitate door to door banking. On the other hand SBI branches such as the Rynjah branch is still lagging behind as far as providing efficient customer service is concerned. They do not seem to care about the organisation’s growth. The rude, aggressive and unfriendly nature of the staff continues and this is especially true of the ladies sitting in SW3 and SW1 of Rynjah branch. My parents have worked with the SBI for the past 25 years and my experience with most of the branches of SBI have always been good in spite of all the public complaints we hear from time to time. But now I feel the public was right as I and my friends had to wait from 3 pm till 5:30 pm to get a demand draft issued, that too after a verbal duel. As a result we could not submit the demand draft in time at the Power Grid office, Nongrah. And their justification was that they do not issue demand drafts until the banking transactions are over. The SBI staffs are often given management and customer service training every now and then but it seems the staff of Rynjah branch have either not attended such trainings or the training has had no impact on them. And yes, it was my first and last visit to that branch.
Yours etc.,
Manoj Pukhrambam
Shillong -14
What’s happened to good music?
Editor,
As an ardent listener and lover of music also a proud Shillongite, hopes are still running high as to when and where I will ever get to witness another international gig that once thronged our so called ‘Rock Capital’ with the likes of Petra, Firehouse, Mr. Big, Scorpions, MLTR, Air Supply, White Lion, Sepultura etc., They were spectacular with their entertaining performances and I couldn’t forget the smile, the feeling of oneness and happiness I witnessed on each face that exited the JN stadium after their shows irrespective of caste, creed or religion. I must say bravo to the organizers who toiled hard in making Shillong proud and the rock capital of India. All good things must come to an end they say and for whatever reason rock concerts were banned from the JN Stadium. Eventually JN Stadium became associated only with the I-League which seldom witnesses the same spirit of happiness and oneness that music has especially after the home team loses. So it’s now become football versus music. But look at the example of Wembley stadium in England where both events can and are being held after appropriate steps are taken and with mutual understanding by both organizers to prevent the damage of the artificial turf. We need to follow their ideas and work together to come up with the inspirational phrase- “nothing is impossible”. I feel that many Shillongites, young and old would want Shillong to have its rock capital tag intact. I also hope to see the print and electronic media once again flashing news of live performances by international artists and bands of various genres from rock to pop, blues to reggae or gospel to metal.
Yours etc.,
An ardent music lover
Shillong-15
On tinted glasses
Editor ,
Much has been written about tinted glasses in the recent past. December 1st the deadline has arrived and one wonders if the ban has taken effect. It’s no point repeating the merits or demerits of tinted glass on vehicles or the legal aspects as many writers have elaborately emphasised the same in your esteemed daily earlier . But to make the DGP’s directive more effective my humble suggestion is that the ban should first be enforced on Government and Police Vehicles particularly those of VVIP’s or VIP’s as an exemplary action from 1st to 10th of December 2011. And only after that should the film be removed from the vehicles of ordinary citizens. This will reveal whether the saying ‘a new broom sweeps well’ is a reality or myth. We will salute the new DGP if he begins sweeping at the top.
Yours etc.,
Cliff R Sohtun
Shillong – 6 .
Traffic chaos
Editor,
I would like to bring to the notice of the Traffic Dept and the concerned Minister that it’s been almost 3 years now that the Urban Traffic Control System has been gathering dust (rust) in Shillong. The microprocessor based system boasting state-of-the-art features such as magnetic sensors to detect traffic density, signal synchronisation, full power back-up and a host of advanced features was installed at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore. The system was funded by the Union Urban Affairs ministry and designed by Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), a wing under ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
This system was supposed to solve our city’s traffic woes. The DSP City of the time, Mr Sacheng Marak had stated -“The uniqueness of this system is that every signal post will have magnetic sensors to detect the density of vehicles at traffic junctions at a given point of time and accordingly, traffic lights will fluctuate…..This will help our personnel to effectively control jams.”
Now it appears the Govt. wants to erase it from public memory the sooner the better. The Shillong Traffic Police when questioned about it recently, stated that the traffic control system was flawed and they had been trying to get it rectified for the last couple of years but the implementing agency in Kolkata has refused to oblige. According to the police, the system has the following defects which require rectification before it can be turned on. (1) Lights in the 16 junctions have not been synchronised to meet Shillong’s traffic trends (2) The electro-magnetic loops to control signal change timings are not functioning (3) Manual consoles, which would act as a backup in case the lights fail, have not been installed (4) UPS systems not functioning in many junctions (5) Road markings and fluorescent markings on traffic poles not completed (6) Audio visual tools to educate the public on the use of these traffic lights have not been provided
According to the police, they have switched off the system as it causes confusion to motorists due to the above flaws. Now the question arises as to why the Govt did not pursue the matter with the supplier/ implementing agency aggressively in the last couple of years and instead chose to sweep it under the carpet. Who is the implementing agency? Has the Govt taken the implementing agency/supplier to Court? Was their payment released without testing the system for defects? Were these defects detected at the time of installation or did they crop up after the system was up and running? Is there a maintenance contract in place for the system, and if so with whom?
Rs.1.5 crore is a huge sum to be wasted in this manner and the public demands answers. The longer we keep the traffic control system switched off, the greater the chance that it will never become operational again. Is Rs. 1.5 crore of equipment headed for the scrap heap? Is this being done intentionally by people in the Govt with vested interests? Will the concerned Minister or Chief Minister provide answers, or will they continue to keep their distance from such issues? Is this another scam?
Yours etc.,
Daisy Kharkongor
Shillong