Editor,
Police Bazar has become a common dumping ground. Where is the civic sense? It may be noteworthy to mention that Police Bazar is also a commercial area where huge buildings have come up (some overnight) whereby construction materials are dumped on the tiled areas to facilitate construction. Restaurants/ Hotels are supplied with big commercial cylinders thrown from gas supplying vehicles on the tiled roads, thereby smashing the tiles. Everyday vehicles are washed with huge amounts of water in front of all the residence- cum- shops. This floods the tiled roads. Even the inaugural stone in front of the MUDA entrance is not spared. It is covered with betel-nut spit and lime. Unless civic rules are strictly enforced, Police Bazar will become a dirty slum, not a commercial space we are proud of. I wonder how those who own shops along Police Bazar and have earned their livelihoods from there for decades have no sense of ownership of the place. Why do they wait upon the Government to do everything?
Yours etc., Sanjay Bhattacharjee
Shillong -1
Meghalaya a rotting carcass
Editor,
Lamchwa Mukhim’s letter “Law-keeping looters” is a damning condemnation on the way Meghalaya is being governed. Policemen have become turncoats and criminals in uniform, extorting in the name of ‘checking’ trucks. Our politicians, even the tallest ones, resemble Sicilian godfathers running crime syndicates. One and all have looted huge amounts in the name of development from Central grants and corruption rackets run by trusted bureaucrats in each department. Payoffs in these departments (and especially the Police Dept) is the norm to get anything done. A cut of the take is passed on from one official to another, all the way to the minister. And NGOs? They are nothing more than vultures looking for a rotting carcass or a skeleton in someone’s cupboard. And as far as the media’s involvement in shady deals goes, isn’t it common knowledge that behind every publishing house there stands a politician using its power for personal gains? In Meghalaya, the old adage of “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” applies in all such cases.
Yours etc.,
Gerald Lyngdoh
Shillong -1
Traffic jams in Shillong: some proposals
Editor,
It is a matter of regret to experience traffic jams in Shillong which could have easily been avoided. I am a regular commuter from Shillong to Jowai and vice versa. It always takes us one hour from Jowai to Shillong (up to Mawblei) 58 KM but to reach Civil Hospital from Mawblei, a distance of 5 Km it takes a whole hour. In total we spend two hours (mind you 2 hours of our life) to cover a distance of 63 Kms from Jowai to Shillong for reasons which are not difficult to fathom. Between Madanryting Police Station and Fire brigade Ground (Iew Rynghep) there are ten intersections of two kilometers distance only which can be cut down to five. It is seen that most of the traffic jams occur between Barik point to Laitumkhrah point and there are four intersections in between namely Barik, Malki Dhankheti and Don Bosco points a distance of barely 200 metres from one point to the next. I don’t think we need so many intersections across the road as this leads to unnecessary traffic jams. It is my humble suggestion that the road crossing at Don Bosco point and Dhankheti point should be dispensed with and if one needs to cross the road an opening can be made through Malki point near Malki petrol pump to cross over to Lower Lachumiere and enter towards the Horse Shoe building (old NEHU building). The road from Malki point to Horse Shoes Building (Lower Lachumiere) should be made one way. I am sure that the traffic jams will ease to some extent if this idea is translated into action. I don’t think it is a bad proposal to experiment with this idea. Another idea is that the Traffic Police Department should be headed by an IGP (Traffic) level officer and ultimately upgraded to DGP(Traffic) in course of time as every police officer’s dream is to retire as DGP.
Gone are the days where officers like WR Marbaniang as SP East Khasi Hills could be seen directing traffic along with his Deputy and other police officers. Nowadays you don’t see even an SI on the road. The examples followed by police authorities of Seoul city (South Korea) in allowing even and odd numbered vehicles to ply on alternate days should be experimented in Shillong. In Meghalaya today every family member owns a vehicle, hence if there are five members there are five vehicles on the road. Moreover, taxis coming from outside Shillong like Nongstoin, Mawkyrwat, Mawngap, Sohra, etc are also allowed to ply and carry passengers during the day time. This adds to the chaos. It is time for Traffic Police Department to insist that taxis write on top of their vehicles the region they are plying on like Mawngap Region, Sohra Region etc, and thereby put a stop to the illegal transportation of passengers. No new permits should be given to taxis as enough taxis are seen on the road.
It is seen that local taxis meant to be driven by ladies drivers’ (white and red colour) are also being driven by men. These permits should be cancelled. Another idea is that the routes on which the Government sponsored red buses ply should be regulated. Only a few buses should be allowed to go to Bara Bazar; the rest should take a U-turn from Raj Bhavan and go back to Laitumkhrah, Nongthymmai, Umpling, etc.
I am sure that this idea of mine as a concerned citizen of Shillong city can be given due consideration to alleviate the traffic jams. This will provide relief to all commuters and make driving a pleasant experience instead of a torturous one.
Yours etc.,
W C Manna
Shillong – 2