Editor,
Apropos the letter to the editor by Raghav Jhunjhunwala under the caption “MUDA selling outdated bus coupons” (ST September 17, 2015), it is hereby clarified to the general public that these coupons have been introduced from the month of August 2015 to help the public who are accessing Public Transport, with change of Rs 5 in the form of pre-paid coupons to ease the problem of tendering loose change. These coupons are binding and act as a mode of exchange just the way cash is and in no way are they outdated unless it is indicated so in the coupon itself. The passengers can always check the terms and conditions which are written at the back of each coupon regarding use of the coupon and validity of the same, if the credibility of the coupons are in question. Hence the public should not take such claims from bus conductors at face value and should report to the office regarding any such claims. They can also call this number 9402193547/9774022721 regarding any inconvenience faced while using SPTS, SSTS and SSPTS modes of transport. As can be observed there are changes that are being brought about with regards to improvement of operations of Public Transport Service in the city such as introduction of Route no. and detailed routes being pasted on the buses and maxis along with colour codes, uniforms for bus drivers and conductors, driver and conductor’s details to be displayed inside the bus and also the introduction of the coupons in lieu of change. In addition to this, there will be additional buses to be added to improve the comfort level. But to make the system an efficient one, active public participation is also required. Hence we request to the public accessing Public Transport Service to report any inconvenience or issues with regards to the service provided. In response to the complaint of non-acceptance of coupons by the bus conductor, the operators of SPTS, SSTS and SSPTS have been instructed to accept the tickets issued by the office and also to observe all operational standards failing which disciplinary action will be initiated by the concerned authority. Furthermore, the coupons will also be available at Pariat Store (Motphran), Yogomaya Enterprise (Police Bazar), D. Enterprise (NEIGHRMS), ASL General Store (Mawlai, Nonglum), New World Stationary, Shillong Municipal Board and MUDA office. With regards to the reported incident this Authority requests Mr Raghav Jhunjhunwala to kindly call the number mentioned so the officials of MUDA can come and verify the coupons procured which are alleged by the conductor to have been expired.
Yours etc.,
Secretary
Meghalaya Urban Development Authority,
Shillong
M-TABs distracting students
Editor,
My son is a student of class XII. As we all know, the State Govt. is providing M-TABs to all the students of Class XII from the past two years. But is this actually helping the students to excel in their studies? The students use TABs for gaming, chatting (by using wifi), and other useless online activities. Being a parent, I would have never given my child a TAB, as it consumes a lot of their time, not especially in their 12th standard which is the most important year in their life. Giving the TAB after Class XII would have been a better option. This is because the students would have passed Class XII, and they would need it to go to other states for higher studies. Many students are seen in markets using their TABs for gaming, chatting, using useless apps. If there had been some kind of a system in TAB which could stop installing these useless apps, it would have been better. Even good students are now addicted to the TAB, and are wasting a lot of their time. This is because the students keep the TAB near them always, and hence, tend to use it more often than needed. There are few students who are using the TAB positively, but 90% of them make negative use of it. Being a parent, I am concerned about the future of my child. The Class XII results of the students of our locality was way below our expectation and my observation is that it was due mainly to the to the TAB. No other State Govt. provides TAB to the students like ours does. I think the Govt. needs to take steps to save the future of the students of our state.
Yours etc.,
Sumit Kumar Pradhan
Shillong-22