Editor,
In the present scenario it seems there are not enough taxis from Police Bazar to Laitumkhrah. But this is not the only route which suffers from shortage of cabs. Places like Madanrynting, Rynjah, Polo, Sawlad etc. face the same problem. As yet Shillong does not have an efficient public transport system. There is always a huge rush and chaos during office hours. Taxi drivers are unwilling to take passengers to Laitumkhrah because of traffic congestion. Sometime they charge double or triple the fare during office hours and people tend to pay since they need to get to their respective places. Taxis are supposed to cater to the masses and to be the easiest means of transport. While taxis provide income to some their main purpose is public service. It is a serious problem especially for girls when they need to travel all alone in the evening. I once had to pay Rs 150 to make a trip to Laitumkhrah. Later I realised that it was wrong on my part to pay the taxi driver the rate he asked but I had no other option. During the evenings taxis take advantage of the passengers’ needs since they know how desperate people are to get back home early. Majority of us have seen buses packed and overcrowded. This is because buses are the cheapest means of transportation. The government had introduced separate taxis for women to bring a sense of safety among the vulnerable. But this idea flopped for reasons unknown..
At this juncture strict action needs to be taken against taxi drivers who charge exorbitant fares or overload. The need of the hour is to create awareness among passengers and taxi drivers as well.. We could introduce a queue system where every individual stands in a queue and awaits their turn for a taxi. Likewise, taxis should form a queue and takes the passenger to their destination. In this way, the taxi drivers will not be able to charge extra from people and everyone will get a ride back home. This system should be able to address the taxi shortage. And taxis won’t be able to charge arbitrary amounts from the passenger or refuse to take any passenger on some pretext. Hopefully this will bring a huge change in the traffic system in Police Bazar and in Meghalaya as a whole because there is always a rush for cabs. It will also make it safer for individuals to travel at odd times of the day.
Yours etc.,
Chandrika Nongkhlaw,
Via email
Indefensible statement
Editor,
Apropos the news item “BJP’s rise in Shillong a cause for concern”, (ST May 20, 2014), the statement by Mr. Paul Lyngdoh (Working President, UDP) is paradoxical and it can in no way compensate for his poor performance in the recently concluded general election. Instead of carrying out a post-mortem for his own party’s debacle during last Assembly election and this year’s MP election expressed concern about the loss of monopoly by a national party in the state of Meghalaya. This shows that Lyngdoh from being a responsible leader of a (once) powerful regional party in the state is now working for a party of national importance behind the scenes. This is not desirable for a political leader of his stature. At the same time views expressed by Paul Lyngdoh regarding unusual poll debacle in the state of Meghalaya due to ‘Modi Wave’ was simply an eye wash to make excuses for his poor performance in the last general election. The ‘Modi wave’ swept the country from West to East and North to South. His win was not a fluke. People of this country created the platform to overpower the anti-people UPA Government.
It should be the prime duty of all existing political parties in Meghalaya to set aside all political differences and make the best of the Government in Delhi. They should try to create an atmosphere conducive to the development of the State and its people instead of bickering about political ideologies.
Yours etc.,
PB Das,
Shillong- 3
Save Jowai campaign
Editor,
Jowai is rapidly turning into a big slum. This is urbanization at its worst. Perhaps Jowai is one of the filthiest towns in Meghalaya. There are many reasons for this. But it comes down to failures at different levels. Jowai is surrounded by a big drain called the Myntdu River. All sewers and drains in Jowai flow into this river. This one and only lifeline of the town has the distinction of not only being polluted beyond permissible limits by being a dump but also the main source of its drinking water! The market area, Iawmusiang can be best likened to a giant waste bin! Around evening, one can see rubbish pile up into mountains around each intersection, courtesy the vendors and shopkeepers in the Iawmusiang area. The next morning, stray dogs scatter the trash throughout the length and breadth of Iawmusiang and beyond. The newly constructed road around the Thomas Jones College is a dumping ground of earth, trash, septic tanks, dead animals and what have you! Yet, no one is even moved to put an end to this. The District Administration, the College and the Norman Tunnel Hospital, the Municipal etc. are perhaps waiting for the perpetrators to have a change of heart because no one is even remotely obliged to take any action against the illegal dumping. Considering that the stream that has been turned into a drain and flows directly to the town’s only river with no one bothered that the very water that irrigates the fields and quenches the town’s thirst owes its origin in the town’s toilet! A thought to ponder upon for everyone! Jowai is a combination of the utter failure of urbanization and lack of civic sense among citizens. Migration into Jowai town has not been systematic and for most parts the antecedents of the migrants are not known. This is also a grave failure of the local dorbar to rein in the polluters.
The sheer swell of immigrants and ‘benami’ business etc. within the last ten years is mind boggling. Sales people and their families hawking black-marketed Chinese and Myanmarese wares are also selling something far more dangerous, like drugs etc. And yet, the administration turns a blind eye towards these dangerous elements. Why? What is wrong with Jowai and it’s people? Don’t we deserve a clean town? Shouldn’t a clean river that supplies us clean drinking water be a priority? The District Administration needs to really step up its game to fulfil the most basic needs of the citizens of Jowai. A serious revamp of the failing Jowai Municipal Board is the need of the hour; starting with it’s CEO, who aside from holding the post of ADC in the District, has been posted here for more than 10 years as an MCS officer! The much hyped and corruption riddled Jowai Market Complex Project that is yet to be completed after so many years should be thoroughly investigated and if need be, taken away from JHADC for its gross failure. We have to make everyone accountable. We have had enough of this nonchalance. It’s time to act or we will forever be doomed. The general public should be more proactive than just the annual cleaning drive on 2nd October. The same goes to the District Administration; it needs to think beyond that one annual cleaning drive that serves no purpose because the root cause of the mess is never addressed. I urge upon the readers to take up this cause as their own and start with small gestures in their own homes and do their bit to clean up this mess.
Yours etc.,
Lamchuwa Mukhim,
Via email