Editor,
The new system of billing of the Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation Limited (MPDCL) against the consumption of electricity for each household has its loopholes. In most cases, the input data is taken arbitrarily by the person engaged for the job. This has made the process of payment cumbersome, lengthy and disturbing. The concerned house owner has to visit the MPDCL office several times to get the bill corrected and finally make the payment for the corrected amount.
I am a resident of Laitumkhrah staying in a rented house which has a meter that registers my electricity consumption. I was out of station for about two and half months from December ’14 to mid Feb’15. Before leaving Shillong I had cleared the bill for November against the correct meter reading which on the day of my arrival at Shillong was also found to be the same. However, to my surprise my house owner handed over two bills recorded on 13.01.15 and 10.02.15 showing a total consumption of 470 units, whereas during my absence there was no consumption of electricity. Meanwhile I have sorted out the problem with the good officials of MPDCL but I am writing this letter because many other consumers suffer the same fate. To err is human but machines can do no wrong unless data input is wrong. In the above case the arbitrary recording of reading by the concerned person was a clear case of negligence. I therefore request the MPDCL to introduce a full proof system in order to avoid unnecessary disturbance to the officials of the Corporation. Besides this is part of good governance. I also urge upon the authorities to introduce pre-paid electricity meter system to cater to the ever increasing consumers in the city of Shillong.
Yours etc.,
Patal Das,
Shillong-3
Transfer of High Court Judges
Editor,
In the 1990s, the then Chief Justice of India, Mr. M N Venkatachaliah had foreseen that in order to clean up the Indian Judiciary of corruption the transfer policy of judges had to be modified. Judges appointed from the Bar quota in which they have been practicing as lawyers and the judges promoted from the service quota were shifted to another High Court on elevation as High Court judges. In consistence with this avowed and ethical policy, Mr. Venkatachaliah had ordered the transfer of fifty High Court judges during his tenure as CJI in 1993.
After the exit of Mr. Venkatachaliah his successors have not seriously pursued the former’s epoch-making proposition which could have gone a long way to herald the much coveted transparency in our justice delivery system. Decades later when Mr. S. H. Kapadia was appointed Chief Justice of India this transfer policy of judges, as pioneered by Mr. Venkatachaliah, was given a renewed thrust. The Supreme Court Collegium comprising four senior most SC judges of which Justice Altamas Kabir was one recommended the transfer of the second highest number of twenty High Court judges in public interest. In this make over episode, Justice S H Kapadia had indicated that corruption and judicial misconduct in the judiciary will not be tolerated.
It would be a good practice for the Hon’ble High Court of Meghalaya which was established on 23.3.2013 (co-incidentally in the auspicious presence of the former CJI, Mr. Altamas Kabir) in Shillong to pursue the high-minded juridical principles set by the above two former eminent Chief Justices of India.
Yours etc.,
Jerome Diengdoh,
Shllong-2
Fund constraints
Editor,
The Chief Minister’s announcement that the State has no money to implement central schemes is totally absurd and holds no water. Every ministry in the Union Government is bound to allocate 10℅ of their budget towards the North Eastern region, especially to states that come under so called ‘special category states’. When his Government can go appointing an endless number of parliamentary secretaries and keep on clocking air miles for small matters to Delhi and elsewhere, I think that charity should begin at home. The Finance Department should have strict policy on state spending and realise all the money paid to legislators who go out of the state at the expense of the state exchequer. Top of it all how does this Congress led government claim to realise the dream of building the so called Times Square when there is no money in the coffers?
Yours etc….
Dominic S. Wankhar
Shillong-3