Whoa! Convention Centre lacks emergency exits
The State Convention Centre is an impressive facility. It has hosted functions for the visiting Sikyong of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, the Indian Panorama Film Festival and, most recently, celebrations of World Environment Day on June 5. The Centre is large, well-equipped, tastefully designed and practical. The facility is equal to what one would find it in any first world country. Except for one glaring flaw – it has absolutely no emergency exit signs. These are a rarity in Meghalaya, but in a modern building with a public purpose this is inexcusable. World Environment Day saw the main auditorium packed with school children and adults. If, heaven forbid, the electricity went out because of an emergency and the building had to be evacuated in a hurry, the hundreds of people present might need some signs to lead them out. Why does a Convention Centre designed so wonderfully miss out on this single important point? Considering that we have disaster management drills from time to time it might be a good idea to conduct one such drill at the Convention Centre. And by the way the Centre has not been formally inaugurated and if rumours are to be believed then the builder is yet to be paid his final bill. So he may yet be asked to think of emergency exits.
Of insipid, tortuous speeches
Some wit had remarked that if you have not bored a hole in the first five minutes stop drilling. There are no schools for politicians and even if there were most politicians have too big an ego to want to learn anything more. They stop learning the moment they enter the Assembly and that’s the pity. Speech making is not everybody’s forte. Some people like Smriti Irani do it flawlessly without looking at any cue cards. Others make stilted speeches that the audience would much rather not listen to. Hence it is a must for our elected representatives to improve their oratory skills. The first rule, surely, should be to know your audience and tailor your speech accordingly. The State Level Inter School Athletic Meet concluded in Shillong on recently with Sports & Youth Affairs Minister Zenith Sangma giving the assembled students and spectators a speech. He at first turned to trusted refrains of developing the state’s talent, grooming the young athletes for the future and making sports a career option. Unfortunately he then decided to subject his audience to his thoughts on the evils of a new SBI car loan scheme, which he suggested could financially ruin families. That being the day after World Environment Day, a message of encouraging the youth to walk more would have been appropriate. But Zenith Sangma took the long route before making his point. Thankfully students as a captive audience tend to clap and applaud out of habit. The applause from the hundreds of students at the end of the speech-making seemed more in thanks for the speech having ended rather than the words expressed.
What a hearing it was!
The much awaited hearing of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) saw the court room overflowing with interested listeners. There were the moneybags waiting breathlessly for a positive ruling or at least a modified form of the harsh clauses. There were the jhola types (NGOs) who have called for a ban on coal mining because of its propensity to employ children as labourers. There were film makers who wanted to capture the momentous occasion when the Meghalaya High Court might have had the highest footfalls ever. The courtroom was packed beyond its capacity. So many curious onlookers pushed in to get a glimpse of the proceedings. And Justice Swatantra who heads the NGT did not disappoint. He refused to mollify anyone and even made some caustic comments about enough money having been made by coal mine owners all these years and it was now pay back time. Outside, the coal mine owners were fuming when they were told they could export their coal only after an inventory was made by a central team. Said one coal mine owner, “Now the dkhars in Guwahati will fleece us and decide the price for our coal because they know we are in a no-win situation.” Now the mine owners understand what it is like to have to sell their coal through the surrendered ULFA in Assam which is actually controlling to trade! Eye opener at last!