Editor,
The front page picture of a wrongly parked Air Force vehicle near Lady Hydari Park (ST, February 28, 2012) is rightly captioned ‘Breaking the law.’ I don’t know whether to be amused or angry to further read that the ‘Traffic Police tried in vain to find the Air Force personnel who parked the vehicle’ .
Why? What happened to the hype generated by the Shillong Traffic Police (STP) when they were recently lauded, felicitated and even rewarded with a Cake for daring to issue summon slips to the State Legislators for wrong parking? If we, as ordinary citizens, parked (not wrongly) and leave our vehicles even for a split second, the STP are quick enough to place a summon slip on the windshield or even tow away the vehicle, despite the owner’s pleas.
I just want to say, ‘Be Fair’ STP; if the traffic rules enforced by you is to be complied with and adhered to by us ordinary citizens, it might as well be applicable to the Air Force and Defence Personnel too. After all, their job is also to maintain discipline anywhere they are. Rules are Rules and have to be enforced ‘without fear or favour’.
Yours etc.
Valerie Lamin
Shillong- 1
Lajong takes football to different level
Editor,
I appreciate your coverage on the one of a kind deal between Vestsjaelland the Norweigian ‘FCV Viking’ football Club and the fervent Shillong Lajong Club under the initiative of Dubai based investment Anglian Holding Co. This is a milestone that can take football in the North-east and India as a whole to a new level. I am proud of Shillong Lajong for this achievement. I am also optimistic that India can qualify to the World Cup if Football enthusiasts in the North eastern states get a chance to prove themselves. This new initiative will have far reaching positive development for football players who will be exposed to international standards of practice and training. It would also encourage avenues for aspiring young footballers of the State. In India where cricket is worshipped as a religion it is time to allow other sports a fair chance. Other local cable TV channels did not give coverage of this great news. A toast to The Shillong Times for keeping us abreast of such developments! We look forward to similar coverage in the days to come also.
Yours etc.,
Wayne Syiemlieh,
Via email
Let’s start the action
Editor,
On Tuesday March 6, members of the Initiatives of Change, a global movement with its Indian wing at Panchgani, together with Meghalaya Institute of Governance, and ICARE organised a one day awareness programme for youth at the Soso Tham auditorium. A presentation by Prof Rajagopalan (IofC) focused on three aspects of global challenge- managing rapidly diminishing water resources; tackling the global energy crisis and addressing life style related health issues. ICARE presented a short documentary on the Wahumkhrah as it looks today. It was a factual, no frills, hard hitting exposure on how we have managed to bring a once beautiful river to its knees – to the horrifying state it is in today.
The audience comprised more than 800 youths of Shillong and the graphics on the condition of the Wah Umkhrah shocked one and all. Here I must apologise on behalf of my generation. We have been too self-centred. For more than 50 years my generation ignored the environmental menace that we now shamelessly pass on to our children. The Lukha, the Myntdu, the Umkhrah and the Umshyrpi – poisoned and dead water bodies or rivers that have turned to stinking drains – they are what we have handed down to our children. It must never happen again !
It is not that my generation did not recognise the serious environmental problems they had created for themselves. Our crime however was that we waited for someone else to clean up the mess we made. We refused to acknowledge that we held the solution to the environmental hazards we had caused ourselves. And we waited too long! The Umkhrah and the Umshyrpi are drowning in their own waste. They are dragging Shillong with them.
The time to redeem ourselves has arrived. To the concerned youths of this generation my since appeal is – Come join the “Save the Umkhrah and Shyrpi Campaign”. Do something. You can SMS or use the social media ( face book) to spread the word that the Umkhrah and the Umshyrpi need your help. Send the message around. Second, you can form the “Save the Umkhrah or Umshyrpi Clubs” among your friend’s circle, in your own locality, college or school. Connect with others, share ideas, come forward to revive our rivers for the next generation. Lets learn to care for our environment. Yes we can. Let’s not wait for others. Lets be the change agents of our times. Join the campaign.
Yours etc.,
Toki Blah
ICARE