Editor,
Prime Minister Modi’s clean India campaign or Swachh Bharat, has turned out to be a sham for Meghalaya. Public rallies or marathons are not the ways to achieve a clean Meghalaya. I am afraid that 2nd October has just ended in speeches and pledges but without concrete actions. I was hoping that on that day MUDA or the MPCB or the numerous NGOs of the city would at least organize a Clean Wah Umkhrah Campaign but alas my expectation was short lived for no such initiative was taken. Thanks to the copious rainfall we had which has brought fresh and cleaner water to our beloved river. In fact the rain has done another service to us by depositing all the garbage on the riverside so as to make cleaning more convenient. But unfortunately neither the government nor the NGOs have shown the goodwill to undertake such a civic service. In Meghalaya we are used to empty promises both by the government and the NGOs and so it looks like we will have to contend ourselves with those. Shillong is fast turning into a garbage city with foul smell all over. Polo Bazaar in particular is nasty for its dirt and bad odour. Even important landmarks like Golf Links, are not spared from littering. So many practical suggestions from the public have been voiced from time to time regarding curbing pollution of the city and yet the authorities concerned continue to remain indifferent. Will the Swachh Bharat campaign work in our State? That is a question to be asked as long as empty promises are made in abundance but actions are absent.
Yours etc.,
B. Mawrie,
Via email
Radicalism versus rationalism
Editor,
The bandh by several militant outfits and other newly born pressure groups has brought the state to a standstill. Recollecting our previous governor RS Mooshahary’s speech that Meghalaya has the lowest numbers of working days ( for example we have 52 Saturdays and Sundays in a year which accounts for 104 days in total plus 40 sanctioned holidays), which is only 221 days we have about 144 days(approximately 5 months) of holiday. Besides these 144 scheduled holidays there are unscheduled holidays like bandhs, picketing etc. These add to the list of holidays. In effect in Meghalaya we work only 6 months in a year! With our poor work ethics this number can further reduce.
Agreeing with H H Mohrmen’s view about voluntary slavery, this mental bondage is deeply entrenched in our psyche. The bold headlines in the front page of our daily newspapers announcing these bandhs added more stamina to our slothful minds. In fact, we the people make these bandhs successful by surrendering our otiose support unconditionally. We lack the spirit of rationality and it’s because of this that those two precious souls lost their lives. While sympathizing with their family, the fact remains that these innocent souls lost their lives because someone else has perverted their minds with fear and hatred so much so they were in the forefront of the clash, whereas those responsible for the provocation are safe and secure far away from the scene. As a democratic country we all have our rights to protest but within the ambit of the Constitution and in a peaceful way, by respecting the sentiments and rights of other communities living in Meghalaya.
Media does play a huge role in moulding a democratic country like ours either positively or negatively. As Mohrmen rightly commented, recently our state media has given undue emphasis on these electronic letters sent by militant outfits without justifying their motives, their roles or their sources accurately. In the last decade or so their voice and influence had reduced significantly especially in Khasi and Jaintia hills, but no suddenly out of the blue they became so curious to fight for those two lives when they had themselves taken many precious lives in the past. And they never raised a voice on behalf of those who have died inside the coal mines! I suppose the answer to this is COAL MONEY which sustains them all this while. Since their financial source is dwindling due to the NGT sanctions hence they took up some cause to show their support for the masses but the real intention is to please their patrons – the coal mine owners!
Yours etc.,
Sonie Kharduit,
New Delhi