Editor,
Apropos to the news item in your daily ’PEACEFUL RALY EXPECTED’ (ST October 30, 2015) where the hon’ble Chief Secretary declares that the Rangbah Shong are ‘respected’ people..that day the whole traffic was held to ransom, effigy of the chief minister was burnt and many indecent slogans were raised during the rally. I am a witness to the slogan’ ‘You Mukul Begum’s stooges come down’ aimed at the Secretariat people watching the rally from the over-bridge between the secretariats. The President of the group later threatens the Government that he will storm into the secretariat at any cost. On 5th November the capital witnessed further traffic jams and violent incidents. If these are the action of the so called, ‘respected people ‘I can’t imagine the action by‘not so respected people.’ The accountability of the crowd behaviour solely lies with the President of the Synjuk. What action is Government taking against the ‘respected’ President of the Synjuk for violating the prohibitory orders and mismanaging his crowd Mr Chief Secretary? You certainly owe a public apology for calling such unruly people as ‘respected’ and allowing these ‘respected’ people to take the law into their own hands. The Government in turn has demonstrated it spinelessness when it comes to taking action against such respected people.
Yours etc.,
Danny Wahlang
Shillong-1
The Garo Hills situation
Editor,
I am amused by the statement of the state DGP Mr Mehta through some newspapers that‘GARO HILLS SITUATION DOES NOT WARRANT AFSPA AND WE ARE DOING OK.’ Everyday we hear of some news about extortion, kidnapping and killing from the Garo hills. Development activities have come to a standstill. There is an atmosphere of fear everywhere and free movement is adversely affected. Even the Garos working in Shillong have confided to me that it is highly unsafe to visit Garo hills. The law and order situation has gone from bad to worse. The administration has virtually collapsed. There are many sympathisers and informers within the police force for the militants. The police force obviously cannot be trusted and is totally ineffective. Even a fool can understand this ground reality. Against this background I welcome the direction of the Hon,ble High court to impose AFSPA immediately. What are we waiting for? Are we going to consult an astrologer and ask for an auspicious time for imposition of AFSPA? Are we waiting for the kidnapping and killing of Deputy Commissioners, SPs and other senior officials in the Garo hills? Are we waiting for kidnappings and killings of Ministers and their kith and kin? Does the DGP care for the common man? The DGP can move with all security around him but a common man cannot. Come on Mr. Mehta try camping in Garo hills and moving around there without any security. Ask your officers also to do the same. Then only you will understand why we need AFSPA. The direction of Hon’ble high court is not a case of judicial activism but a classic case of executive inactivism, a classic case of executive failure for which the executive headed by the Chief Secretary should be held fully accountable. Wake up Mr. DGP and stop thinking that peace can be achieved in Garo hills only when not many people are left.
Yours etc.,
Daniel A Lyngdoh,
Via email
Death of one tradition
Editor,
This refers to the news about Chief Minister Mukul Sangma talking of reviving the Pasteur Institute (Nov5,2015).I only wish he could but can he? When he says he wants to bring in global experts it just shows the dearth of experts here. Shillong had been lucky to have had a scientific tradition well-founded by the global minds (British Raj).But today in the whole NE India(former Assam) that tradition had almost been buried by the omnipotent TRADITION(shad mastieh).To make matters worse even Mother Delhi(not MeiRamew) is getting entangled in the octopus grip of Ram Dev saffronites and yoganites.
Let me narrate just a few things:
Once I collected a few British period files of the Pasteur Institute from the Secretariat just before they took them for burning (like burning effigies).There is no system or culture of keeping records which are essential for any science to grow. The British Govt almost set up this Institute in Haflong but Shillong won in 1915 mainly due to its salubrious climate. During those days all major policy decisions were taken right here in Shillong, not Delhi. British Raj was more local than Delhi Raj. Who then is the true colonialist? There were Indian Medical Service administrators trained in medicine, public health and administration and not the generalist IAS we have today.
The Directorate of Public Health (preventive) was totally separate from the Curative wing. It was in command of research in vaccines, worm infestations etc. Public Health too was responsible for good safe drinking water. This was supported by a well equipped Public Health Lab for quick testing. After statehood in 1972 we had such short-sighted and ‘traditional custom’ leaders that had no basic knowledge of ‘traditional science’ that the Public Health Lab was quietly shifted to Guwahati.
I visited the library of Pasteur Institute in the 1990s and it was so dusty with most books and journals looking semi-century old. Today the situation has deteriorated to such an extent that Public Health is already ‘engineered’ and became PH Engineering. I have heard many ministers and even doctors talking about PHCs as Public Health Centres; not Primary Health Centres.
We dance and shout that the whole foundation of our so called democracy is to preserve our old customs, beliefs and traditions'(6th Schedule).Where is the room to build new tradition of science and professionalism? Did JJM Nichols Roy commit a grave blunder?
Yours etc.,
Rasputin Bismarck Manners
Kolkata