Sohra here we come!
Recently a 7-member team from Tamil Nadu was on their maiden visit to Sohra. The team did extensive research before coming here and brought warm clothes, raincoats, umbrellas in case of eventualities. But on reaching Sohra they found that the place was not cold. On the contrary it was quite warm and sunny and with no trace of rainfall. “We brought umbrellas to shelter us from the rain but had to use them as sun shades. For the team Sohra, known as the rainiest place in the world turned out to be a disappointment with no greenery and certainly no sign of rain clouds. On talking to the locals they were told that April is not the times to come to see the rains since most of the waterfalls are rain-fed and therefore dry. At Thangkharang park they asked what was the most important thing to see. They were told to look towards the plains of Bangladesh which was clearly visible since there was neither fog nor rain clouds. The team were appalled at the senseless quarrying and asked the guide if there were any laws against quarrying. He said in Meghalaya anyone who owns land can do anything he/she wants with it, including cutting down trees, destroying aquifers, collecting sand from rivers etc. “What a State,” commented one of the tourists and them asked, “Is there no law for protecting the environment?” The guide could not answer that question. Back in Shillong, they visited the picturesque Sri Aurobindo Institute of Indian Culture and were impressed by its cleanliness, nature walk, water bodies, gardens and trees with other facilities. “Such a green space in the heart of the city is remarkable,” the Tamil Nadu team said. They also said that information about Meghalaya is not true to facts.
A question of perception
On Saturday the leading NGOs of Shillong under the banner of “Save the Umkhrah & Umshyrpi Campaign,” gathered at the Polo Ground for an awareness campaign to save the two rivers. Thousands of school and college students gathered respectfully to listen to the organizers about what road map they have for getting into the real business of restoring the two rivers. That message did not come through. The meeting, essentially an exercise in speech giving carried on for well over three hours until the restive student population finally dispersed without the curtains formally coming down. Nearby the youth wing of a political party waded into the Umkhrah with their picks and shovels to do the real cleaning work. When it come to scoring brownie points you cannot beat a political party! The question to the NCP is whether Umkhrah can become clean by this symbolic one-day clean-up drive. And a counter question to the ‘Save Umkhrah, Umshyrpi Campaign’ is whether rallies without concrete plans to be shared with stakeholders is enough! The pledge was good but the pronunciation so bad it managed to confuse than enlighten. What provided comic relief were the self-composed incantations and songs to the Umkhrah and Umshyrpi sung by young men and women.
Youth Hostel in shambles
The city-based youth hostel located opposite the Old Telephone Exchange presents a sordid picture to a visitor. The reception is empty with a huge notice board filled with do’s and don’ts. Adjacent to the reception is the office of the youth hostel which remains empty throughout the day. If a visitor (youth hostel member or others) go there to avail room services and even if someone screams and shouts in frustration no one is likely to turn up. It is learnt that the manager of the office visits only on the first of every month to draw his salary and remains absent thereafter. There are allegations that he has flouted recruitment norms and got his son a job in the same office. The office boy, always on the pretext of repairing the water tanker behind the hostel and other plumbing works, remains out of the office consistently. The institution is in total disarray. Recently, a team from central India visited the hostel and had to wait for four hours before someone came to provide them lodging. The office telephone keeps ringing throughout the day but there is none to receive the calls. Someone is clearly not doing his/her job and it is high time some action is taken against those in charge of the Hostel!