Editor,
A few weeks back, a local TV channel had expressly demonstrated the lamentable condition of a road which falls under the Ri Bhoi District. This road which beggars all description runs from Lad Umsaw village enroute to Mawmih and beyond. It is mind-boggling to see that this motorable route, which skirts the scenic Umiam Lake and other notable landmarks such as Fernando Missionary institute, Ri Kynjai abode which is a popular destination of eminent personalities like Ms. Arundhati Roy, the Booker prize awardee and such other educational Centres like UCC College, is a spectacle of a regretful look. A more appalling motorable road will be hard to think of. Markedly, from the first hand interview conducted by the personnel of the TV Channel in question with the residents of these concerned villages, it transpired that this god-forsaken road is under the 11 Umsning Constituency which is represented by an MLA of Congress party. In fact, the affected villagers who have to religiously commute through this route stated that they have filed umpteenth complaints to those at the helm over the pitiable shapes of this specific road-way but their efforts, they affirmed, proved unavailing. It beats me how the invalid, the aged, the tender children particularly the women during pregnancy travel over the bumpy tracts, interspersed with pot-holes and sudden sharp jerkings caused by the existing road surface? It must be a punishing experience of the poor villagers who have no other alternative linked communications. I hope the MLA concerned would address the people’s concerns sooner than later.
I may draw a similar analogy as far as road maintenance is concerned: This is in pertaining to one of the constituent Assembly Constituencies in Shillong, namely the 18 West Shillong Constituency that is represented by an MLA of a regional party. In this Constituency, all can fairly see for themselves the smooth contour of nearly all the road networks; the damaged portions due to wear and tear are being progressively repaired. Some of these roads, mind you, were formerly under the jurisdiction of another Congress MLA before the re-demarcation of constituencies. This representative is also consciously working overtime to link every possible cluster of households through a motorable pathway thereby ensuring that no vehicle is parked overnight on the main road. However, such noble attempts to bring about this vehicular connectivity to the un-approached houses due to adverse land topography are more often than not met with failure given the fact that some unscrupulous land owners where such an approach route needs to pass through are determinedly unwilling to part with even an inch of their space for the over-all welfare and convenience of their nearest neighbours!
To call a spade a spade, a people’s representative of such benevolence ought to earn plaudits from the denizens of the 18 West Shillong Constituency as far the question of road maintenance is concerned.
Yours etc.,
Jerome Diengdoh,
Shillong-2
Academia afflicted by insensibility
Editor,
Occasionally, the North Eastern Hill University is in the news, more frequently, because of internal disruptions such as strikes and agitations rather than that of academic excellence and achievements in research and innovations. Of course, one cannot deny that hard work and dedication of some faculty and students have raised the status of the university to earn it the sobriquet – University with the potential for excellence. A university ranking 15th among universities in India etc.
On the other hand, it ability to make progress is often impeded by the insensibility and authoritarian nature of some, in position of power, in the administration of this Institute. Such perturbing instances, inter alia, include harassments meted out to the research scholars in matters of extension of hostel accommodation owing to imperious and apparently ignorant dictates of the concerned administrators such as Provost and DSW.
By UGC rule, a research scholar pursuing PhD is allowed to get extension of his five years period to another two years subject to the strict examination of the progress, quality and productivity of his/her work in the particular field of research. The examination and scrutiny is done by a panel of experts of the particular area of study. In NEHU such students who have been given extension subject to the above procedure are denied extension of hostel accommodation. That is the worst crisis faced by genuine research scholars while struggling with the toughest and most crucial stage in advancing their innovations, arriving at conclusions, writing thesis, submission etc. In institutes like IITs, ISIs, TIFR, etc., students normally take seven years, but their quality of work and contribution is strictly monitored and examined. These premier research institutes have given thrust to the quality of work hence more time is given to the researchers. The aim is to trigger a change in terms of scope, intensity and quality of research in India to be in the same pace with that of top global institutes and to liberate our nation from the much decried abysmal backwardness that any Indian university does not figure among the top 200 universities in the world.
If our “smart” administrators are conscious of these technicalities in the academia, they should not be too autocratic to disturb the conducive, academic environment. Our respected VC should look into such matters seriously.
Yours etc.,
(Name withheld on request)