A centenarian’s wish
Silverene Swer, that gutsy lady with the ‘never say die’ attitude who completed a century two years ago insists on living life on her own terms. She still articulates her social concerns. What is disturbing the centenarian is the propensity of policy makers of Meghalaya to allow high rise structures in the city. Sittingon her bed she looks out of her window and points to a particular school building which for want of space for horizontal expansion has decided to expand vertically.
“What will happen if any calamity such as an earthquake strikes? Will there not be a stampede? Are there emergency exits in that building? How can the authorities be so callous with a school building? And I wonder about the toilets? Where are they located?” the centenarian wonders. Kong Sil as Silverine Swer is affectionately called had served in Arunachal Pradesh in its former avatar as the remote and poorly connected North East Frontier Agency (NEFA). She and her peers worked with a deep sense of commitment. She cannot understand why people no longer put their hearts in their work. “How can anyone construct a school several storeys high in an earthquake prone zone? Don’t they have a heart for the students?” asks the troubled Kong Sil. Sadly such questions are considered mundane and a waste of time in an era when commercial interests override everything else.
Are 50 paise coins not legal tender?
The 50 paisa coin has no meaning in Shillong. Shopkeepers in the city say they cannot even get enough bigger change so why bother with this petty coin. Though the RBI has assured from time to time that there will be adequate supplies of change floating around and even the SBI Chairman during his recent visit to the state assured that 50n paise coins are very much in circulation, the truth is otherwise.
Recently the Deputy Commissioner East Khasi Hills notified that the 50 paise coin and others of bigger denominations such as Re 1, 2 and 5 are circulating in abundance and has urged anyone who faces problems with shopkeepers to lodge complaints with his office.
Surprisingly only the commercial establishments in Police Bazaar are paying out 50 paise change. Elsewhere shopkeepers refuse to accept 50 paise coins as legal tender. A teacher said that he was returned five rupees in 50 paise coins recently by a confectionary store in Police Bazaar but when he paid the same coin to a shopkeeper in Rilbong he was told that the coin is no longer in circulation.
The teacher threatened to complain to the authorities. The shopkeeper dared him to do so!
Will the DC’s inspectors do a surprise round of the shops beyond Police Bazar and teach the errant shopkeepers a lesson? If the DC’s office is too busy they could outsource this task to some young people!
Can bikers be allowed to pollute our eardrums?
These days bikers are not just speeding on the roads. Many seem to have removed their silencers to announce that they have arrived. The poor traffic police does not seem to realize that these bikers are hurting people’s eardrums with noise that have reached indecent decibel levels. To further add to the consternation of drivers and almost as an attention drawing technique these days the pillion seems to be sitting at a level that’s at least two feet above the driver. Normally girls with their hair flying in the wind are pillion riders and create quite a spectacle apart from distracting other young drivers. “There seems to be no end to the attention getting gimmick,” complained an elderly gentleman whose son was waving excitedly at the rider and pillion duo which left a trail of heavy carbon footprints behind.