Editor,
I would like to bring to the notice of the school administration of Loreto Convent, Shillong their unreasonable attitude. My daughter had unfortunately forgotten to take along her tiffin box on being dropped to school. When I noticed this lapse I asked our driver to hand over her tiffin at the school. He was told that this could not be entertained because of the chances of children being poisoned. This to me, sounds absurd. The driver also offered to let the watchman speak to the child’s parents but this too was bluntly refused. In a span of six years this has happened only twice and let me assure you that the school administration’s assurance that the child will not go hungry as food would be shared by the other students never happened. The child came home hungry and had not eaten for nine hours. The question I want to pose here is whether this is fair to the child? Does she have to pay such a heavy price for forgetting her tiffin box in the car? Would members of the school administration who forget to carry their tiffin undergo a similar ordeal? Isn’t there a way to address this issue or would we rather lie low and remain silent on this insensitive behavior of the school administration because we fear vengeance on our children? I sincerely hope the school administration takes note of this misdemeanor, for, God forbid if a child has to fall ill due to fatigue (of not having eaten for nine hours), then the administration would have to be held answerable. Such inhuman behavior is not expected from a missionary run school.
Yours etc.,
Kenneth M. Pala,
Via email
Why double-standards of law?
Editor,
The so called clarion call by leaders of MIPRL to start an indefinite economic blockade is uncalled for and should not be supported at any cost. While they make a hype of people dying or suffering from starvation as they put it, their motive of calling an economic blockade is simple suicide for the people. Trade and commerce is surely going to suffer. Moreover the impasse would escalate into a law and order problem. When the ILP was at its height the state home and law department was quick to frame charges against those responsible for the agitations. But when the MIPRL members attack the law enforcement authorities and damage public property the government dithers in arresting these so called leaders of the poor. Why are different yardsticks applied here? Isn’t this a contempt of principles and rule of law? Perhaps the Home Minister should start walking the extra mile.
Yours etc…
Dominic S. Wankhar
Shillong -3
Whither Meghalaya!
Editor,
A fair assessment of the development in our state would tell us that we’re miles behind the rest of the country. There are many facets to development. If we are to take two general yardsticks of development i.e. human development and infrastructure, Meghalaya is growing at snail’s pace compared to other North eastern states. Going by the human development index – one of the best measures of development, our state’s position is not impressive when compared to states like Mizoram and Nagaland which are vying with the best in the country. The HDI developed by a Pakistani economist is a fair indicator of the level of development. International agencies like the United Nations have been using this index as a measure of development for quite a while now. Coming to infrastructure, our progress is much below par compared to the rest of the country. States like Assam have made tremendous strides in improving infrastructure. We cannot overemphasize the importance of social overheads in laying a solid foundation for the growth and development of any country. Tourism which has the potential for solving the growing unemployment among our youths has a direct positive correlation with the level and quality of infrastructure in existence. If the current government is interested in taking the state forward then it should spend its scarce resources on critical areas like infrastructure rather than wasting crores of rupees in building a “New York, Times Square” like structure in Shillong. Good infrastructure will facilitate the growth of sectors like tourism which has strong linkages with other sectors in the economy and according to a report jointly published by the Associate Chambers of Commerce and industry of India (ASSOHAM) and Yes Bank, the domestic travel and tourism (T and T)sector is expected to be the second largest employer globally by 2019.We should first get our basics right before going for needless extravaganza. Our state might end up being like the batsman who gets out trying to play the reverse sweep to a loose delivery when all he needs to do is to play the simple yet elegant cover drive!
Yours etc.,
Gary Marbaniang,
Via email