Editor,
Let me start by complimenting the owners or whoever is responsible for the transfer of players of Northeast United F.C. The foreign players they have brought in have complimented each other brilliantly, with the exception of James Keene who by no means is a bad footballer but does appear to be a square peg in a system of round holes. The one player, however, who has proven to be a real coup not only to Northeast United FC but to the entire ISL Koke – a player who is well travelled and who played his best football for Aris Thessaloniki FC in Greece. Despite being at the twilight of his career he has shown that at least in this country he’s still much better than anything we’ve got. His touch on the ball, his composure, his movement, his clever twists and turns and sudden change of pace is majestic to watch. Koke is an attacking midfielder in English, a trequartista in Italian, a false winger in Spanish or simply a number 10 player for everyone else; a jersey number which more often than not signifies the best player in the team. The great thing for Northeast United is that each time he steps out in the ISL theatre he’s so much better than anyone else in the pitch (perhaps arguably overshadowed only by Luis Garcia of Ath De Kolkatta) and what should scare the opposition is that like some of the great playmakers (i.e Zindine Zidane, Juan Riquleme, Paul Scholes, Ronaldinho, Iniesta etc) he knows that he is much better than anyone out there as well. I am not saying Koke is as good at the highest level as the fore-mentioned players but in the ISL he’s as good as it gets. Therefore one can conclude that our young Northeast footballers in the squad should improve tremendously by the end of the ISL season because it would be impossible to have trained with such a great artist and not learn a few of his master strokes.
Yours etc.,
Celestial Passah,
Via email
Nepotism in Directorate of Field Publicity
Editor,
It is unfortunate that in the recently conducted interview for the post of Field Publicity Assistant at the Directorate of Field Publicity, Shillong on the September 30 last, yet again, another case of partiality and has come to light. As in the past years, it is crystal clear that the selection committee have not abided by the terms of the job advertised. Once again, the selected candidate belongs to the same tribes as the Director, (a tribe from Manipur) This is in contrast to the point mentioned in the job advertisement, which clearly states that the candidate should be proficient in the local language. Another point stressed in the job advertisement was that the candidate should have a Social Work background. The selected candidate does not have that qualification. It is very sad and disappointing that no individual can get an appointment in a fair and honest way. Moreover, this is not just the first or second time that such a thing has occurred. It may be reminded that on December 27, 2011 a similar case was brought to the notice of this paper. Will justice ever prevail? Who will take up this issue on behalf of the deserving candidates? Would an RTI reveal the details of the interview conducted and marks allotted?
Yours etc.,
Thadeus D Shira,
Via email
Taxis fleecing passengers !
Editor,
As students it is important for us o have a system of cheaper travel from one place o another as happens in other cities where metro, train or bus passes are given to students at concessional rates on production of their students’ identity card. In Shillong it is painful for a student to survive because if we have to take a cab, the fares are unreasonably high and arbitrary. Taxi drivers charge whatever they want and when we argue with them the standard reply is that taxi fares have increased. We need to have a rate card in every taxi so that any driver that charges in excess of the rates can be penalised. Taxis seem to hike the fare after every few months. And thats not the only problem, they don’t even follow the rules of not allowing passengers to smoke inside the taxi. Often when we pay the driver he comes up with the excuse “No change” and keeps all the change. This has got to stop and the Transport Department/District Administration has to step in. Let taxis be told to keep the rate card for the benefit of passengers.
Yours etc.,
Deepankar Lohar,
Via email