Shortest Bridge
The country’s shortest ever wooden bridge has recently come up at Don Bosco square area of the city.
This wooden bridge standing on iron shuttering was constructed over a storm water drain – a project which conceived fifteen years ago when our Urban Affairs minister was still a student.
However, one should not be disturbed by the start of the project at this time since a delay of fifteen years is much better than the Shillong Bypass project which was conceived when our “fatherly” DD Lapang was an adolescent.
The bridge has become an instant hit among the citizens of the city as some say it reminds them of the hanging bridge in Dawki whereas some feel that it reminds them of the game of blocks that they used to play during childhood days making bridges, houses and more.
Another person quipped, “It is a Lilliputian sample of the Howrah Bridge in Kolkata. But nonetheless the most important aspect is whether the civic works at this junction will be completed within a month as sought by the authority.
But citizens have become so sullen and cynical they wonder if the Don Bosco project is not going to go the way of the Khyndailad beautification project.
But Madam Ampareen avers, ‘This project is taken up by urban Affairs Department and not the PWD to avoid the delay that the Khyndailad project is facing.
Sleep deprived politician
During the recent visit of Navin B Chawla, former Chief Election Commissioner to the city, he delivered a speech on “Urgency of Electoral Reforms in India.”
A member of the audience asked him how it is possible for government to come to a unanimous decision with so many diverse coalition partners.
To this Chawla replied that it is a ‘googly’ for which he does not have a direct answer.
On another query on corruption in elections he said that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has been able to make the electioneering process very transparent and fair.
He cited the example of a milkman during the last election in Karnataka whose cycle kept on leaning right and left making the ECI officials suspicious.
When they opened the milk can and other belongings they found that there was no milk but cricket gear and other materials meant for distribution. The audience burst into laughter. However, the conduct of a particular MLA who was also an invitee perplexed the organizers of the meet.
The said MLA put a question and left the hall waving his hand at Chawla before he could actually reply. The organizer said that was indeed surprising that the MLA left in such haste when he was seen slumbering throughout former CEC’s speech.
Who wants to be a BPL?
In Meghalaya we practice the opposite of “Kaun banega crorepati” (Who want’s to be a millionaire?)
Here everyone wants to be listed as poor or BPL. Recently, Union Minister of State for Rural Development, Agatha Sangma raised an important point when she said that her constituents make a beeline for the below poverty line (BPL) card.
Other MLAs have similar complaints. One of them said that even doctors and well placed people ask for BPL cards.
Their contention is that they want to avail sugar and rice through those cards since the prices are far more lower yet the quality of the products as good as those in the open market.
For instance rice from the BPL card comes @ Rs 7 a kg and sugar @ Rs 15 a kg. In the open market the same rice costs Rs 22- 25 a kg while sugar is a staggering Rs 45 a kg.
Then there are some who are deemed to be poorer than BPL who are categorized as AAY and get 35 rice @ Rs 3 per kg.
With such a huge incentives, no wonder everyone wants to turn BPL.
As long as Government incentivizes poverty without proper scrutiny of who actually deserves the benefits we will all want to join the rat race of, “Who’s the poorest of them all?”