Editor,
The roads of Tura town get cleaned twice daily by the huge wastage of water that runs from leaking pipes , including the main pipes. Many families in Tura are found to be searching for water every morning and evening and yet the West Garo Hills officials, starting from the very top are blissfully blind to their plight.
Are we being administered by callous government officials who only seem to dance to the tune of politicians? When will these government servants learn to be accountable to the very people they were sent to serve?
Yours etc.,
Tyrone D’Brass,
Via email
Appointment of principal
Editor,
The Baghmara Capt. Williamson Memorial Government College has been running without a full-fledged principal since December 2009. This has hampered the smooth functioning of the College. Apart from that it causes lot of suffering and inconvenience to the students.
Due to lack of supervision the college premises have become dumping grounds for empty liquor bottles in and around the college boundary. The Government should expedite the process of appointing a full-fledged Principal with adequate staff in the interest of the student community. The present students’ union of CWMGC was elected in November 2011 and had taken charge on November 15, 2011. The newly elected students’ body has scanty knowledge about the administration of the college and cannot comprehend the problems of the institution. The new principal, Ms ARW Momin joined on December 1, 2011 and was given a warm welcome but she left after two days and we learnt that the former Principal Mr Donbirth Sangma has filed a case in high court to retain his for post of principal. We discussed this matter with the Director of the Higher and Technical Education and Principal Secretary of Education Department Meghalaya to settle this issue and for appointment of a full-fledged principal for the college. The Director and the Principal Secretary assured that they would appoint a lawyer to handle the case but till date we have not received any information about the progress of the case.
The citizens of Baghmara are dissatisfied with the slow pace at which this issue is being handled. As a students’ body we wanted to agitate on this issue in the month of December but this being the festive season the people of Baghmara requested us not to start the agitation. But we reiterate that we need an eligible full-fledged Principal for our college. We, appeal to the Government to do this urgently failing which we would be forced to go an agitational path.
Yours etc.,
Vice President /General Secretary
Capt. Williamson Memorial Govt. College Students Union,
South Garo Hills, Baghmara.
Highway under stress
Editor,
In the beginning traffic snarls along the two highways happened once or twice a week. Currently it is a daily affair. The volume of heavy vehicular traffic has increased several fold for our two narrow lane highways to accommodate. If what is recorded in your esteemed daily is true, that daily, thirty thousand trucks ply through NH 40 and 44 and if the average length of the truck is 8 metres then if arranged nose to tail it involves a road length of 240 kms from Jorabat to Umkiang. In the absence of lay byes compounded by the fact that Shillong city has ‘no entry’ time of 12 hrs at Mawiong and Mawblei (during school hours) then the fate of commuters on small vehicles or the empty trucks rest solely on the speed of movement of the bulk of traffic. This is a startling fact as at present no overtaking is possible. The supreme court (SC) limiting the load of coal trucks to nine tonnes has greatly helped the movement of these 1210 Model trucks (Tata Code). To understand the reason, we are to know the meaning of 1210. Two first digits multiplied by 10 gives us the horsepower and the two last digits give us the axle load permissible. So the SC has reduced 25 % of the permissible loads and hence they cover the steep gradient and down gradient with safe comfortable average speed of 40 kmph to 50kmph. What is surprising is that the apex court has not imposed likewise on multi axles. Whether vehicles like Leyland and Tata misread the order or the order is incomplete and lacks clarity is not clear, but the outcome is our National Highways witnessing columns of slow moving vehicles that crawl our gradient at 6 kmph to 7 kmph. These extra axles fitted are not differentials that get power from the transmission. In mechanical term they are ‘idle’ axle or in harsh language fake axles. In the plains where engine power needed is small, they prove excellent as distribution of load is all along the four axles and tyre life is greatly enhanced. In hilly roads they prove liabilities as they add tremendous load to the lone driving differential. That is the reason why they need one hour to cover Nongthymmai-Laitkor stretch a distance of 6 km. To make matters worse these trucks are not subjected to being weighed. I have written a letter to the Chief Engineer (NH) PWD (Roads) Govt. of Meghalaya for I fear that this lone single driving differential will have a very damaging traction on the black topping. Unless it is assisted by a second differential no road, no matter how well the black topping is done can withstand this pressure. The apex court had reduced 25% on carrying capacity on coal trucks. In the light of the above argument they should have reduced 30% on the permissible load of these multi axles. Recalling the already used multi axles to factory for fitting an extra differential may be too expensive. The only option thus left is (i) please have the same yard stick on the multi axles or (ii) the Govt. of Meghalaya can request these multi axles like the Tata GV 2518, Leyland 1516 etc, to use the east west corridor through Nowgong to Silchar. Unless something is done before the coming monsoon I fear that traffic flow through NH 44 and 40 may come to a standstill. Though the government has done a commendable job in planning ways and means to ease this traffic congestion, we need to do much more. Let us not forget that NH 40 and NH 44 are of strategic importance. With China provoking our country from every angle there is need for urgent attention on this issue more so if we wish to see our troops move with speed and agility to the frontiers.
Yours etc.,
Wandell Passah,
Retd. H.O.D. Electronics Deptt.,
St. Edmund’s College