Mangoes growing in Shillong!
Climate change in deed is clearly visible and also tangible now. The mango is not a fruit that is endemic to the cooler climes of Meghalaya. But this tree growing in the home of Ms Olivia Lyngdoh in Nongthymmai has several mango fruit this year. Apparently others too have got rare varieties of mangoes growing in their gardens.
Incidentally the owner of this mango tree, which is several years old, has never seen a single fruit in the years that it has been growing in the compound. This year too it was a visitor to the house who drew the attention of the house owner to the large number of mangoes on the tree.
Although the fruits are fairly big they are still very green and raw. Someone observed that the fruit might become quite big by the time it ripens but the aroma that comes out of the sap of the raw fruit itself is indicative of the fact that the mango might be of a rare variety.
It smells exotic! Although the Ri War area of the southern slopes of Meghalaya, are known to grow mangoes they are not sweet and the fruit is often infested with worms. This mango in Shillong looks clean and free of insects at least for now.
Whither flee the cabbies?
The raindrops had hardly begun to pound the ground on Saturday evening when taxis disappeared as if on cue. Scores of commuters were seen waiting eagerly at Khyndailad for cabs which just dwindled in numbers; those plying were headed towards obscure destinations. At the receiving end were passengers from Laban, Bishnupur and Jhalupara.
Usually bustling with cabbies calling out to people, the Laban taxi stand was suddenly devoid of the black and yellow vehicles when they were most needed. Similar was the case with Jhalupara/Bishnupur stand.
As people desperately looked for some means of transport to escape the rain some cabbies were out to make a quick buck urging those approaching them to hire the entire vehicle. As expected, the rates quoted were double the normal fare. Talk about fleecing passengers and taxis are good at this job!
Some commuters observed that this is not the first time they had to face such a situation. Be it rain or traffic congestion, the cabbies doing the Laban route, conveniently, choose to temporarily withdraw service leaving the vulnerable commuters to fend for themselves. Perhaps, time is ripe for the commuters to take a joint stand against the menace.
The bamboo debate
Bamboos are endemic to Meghalaya but we don’t get to see too many bamboo products that are durable or treated to become durable so that they can be used for building earthquake proof houses. Bamboo experts have come and gone. Officers and ministers from the Government have visited Taiwan and Vietnam where bamboo is properly processed and widely used.
The strong winds that blew across the state recently saw several hundreds of bamboos come crashing down and taking telephone and cable wires along with them.
It has taken the BSNL and MeECL ground staff a lot of energy and dedication to restore the fallen wires to their proper place.
Worst road in Shillong
The road going from the MES office at Spread Eagles Falls to Laitumkhrah (Lumsohra) has once again eroded and huge craters have reappeared. The reason? Roads are not built to specification.
They are washed away by one heavy shower and their widths too are different at different places. Corruption in road making has left the citizens wondering whose doors to knock to find out the cost of black-topping a one kilometre stretch of road.
The answers will surprise us! None of the contractors who have made bad roads; roads that wait to be repaired annually in Meghalaya, have been punished. It’s a laissez faire regime in Meghalaya!