The ongoing torrential rainfall in the
city and the state at large has taken its toll on the citizens as normal life suffered a rather wet and mushy hit.
Though this ongoing rainfall since last Thursday in some parts of the state, it took a day more to hit the capital city where people are combating the monsoon more than their counterparts anywhere else in the country.
It is learnt that other big cities are yet to get their share of monsoon though it has hit the southern region.
In Shillong the school going children were the most affected lot as they had to appear in their midterm examination.
“During the monsoon season, the students and parents have a tough time since most schools in the city do not have their own bus service and so parents have to take the burden of dropping their wards to schools,” said a mother whose son was wet by his knee on Monday morning.
She is echoed by another guardian and said that the school authority can adjust the timing of the mid-term examination with the onset of the monsoon.
“It is difficult when it continuously rains as it is now,” he said.
Apart from these school students, officer goers are also an affected lot as many of them chose to stay home and skip a day or two from workplace.
And the one who had no other choice had to proceed to their workplace amidst rainfall sheltering them with their umbrellas.
But there was no respite for the market goers, as the city’s traditional market Iewduh took its ugliest look during this time of the year.
The dingy lanes of this market have gone slippery with heaps of garbage lying in each and every lane.
A resident who was marketing in this market on Monday said, “The market remains crowded throughout the week whereas the crowd increases more on Saturday and Monday. So there is an urgent necessity to clean it on a daily basis.”
Elsewhere, in Polo which is one of the worst areas in the entire city because of the Wah Umkhrah River that flows beyond its limit during monsoon has started to bother the residents of Greater Polo.
Here during this time of the year, the residents of Polo Hills, Forest Colony, Short Round Road, Golf Links etc. have to deal with flood water as life literally comes to a standstill.
“This is a common sight during the monsoon since time immemorial but our legislator and the authority cares for none,” said an irate resident from the area, who is concerned about the incessant rainfall for the last couple of days.
Meanwhile, with rainfall, the shopkeepers dealing in umbrellas are making a huge profit, too.
It was seen that a shopkeeper in Police Bazaar was busy dealing in various fancy umbrellas as customers thronged his shop like bees.
As far as bikers were concerned, they went for a full body cover raincoat. The public here are making every effort to keep themselves dry amidst the rain.
But their counterparts elsewhere in Garo Hills, Jowai and Nongstoin are not that privileged when it comes to getting drenched as they had to encounter flood, landslides and other natural havocs during the ongoing rainy season. (By Rajib Roy)