Editor,
The old Directorate of Supply office next to the District Transport Office (DTO) is in a deplorable condition and it is being misused by shady elements. Other old buildings there are the Forest Development Corporation and an adjacent building of the Forest Dept constructed by the then Assam Government. Since all Govt offices such as Tourism, PWD, DTO, PHE, Treasury, Sales Tax, Industries and others are located in this area there is acute parking problem. Only the DTO and PWD have their own parking area which is used by their own officers and staff. Public vehicles are not allowed to park there. The Tourism and Treasury offices have no parking space so the staff park outside their building. Members of the public who need to visit these offices have to park by the side of the road and sometimes on both sides of the road. This causes traffic jams. I also found many condemned vehicles parked in the DTO and blocking the space there instead of being disposed off immediately. Similarly, many condemned vehicles are parked in the main and additional secretariat compounds and block the area. I suggest that all the vehicles be disposed off immediately by the concerned department i.e. SAD. This will solve the problem of parking of Govt vehicles.
There are Govt departments such as Excise, Labour, Women Commission, etc., which operate from rented buildings and pay lakhs of rupees monthly in rent. I suggest that Govt immediately dismantle the Supply office which is lying unused and plan it in such a manner so that a basement and road level floor can be used for parking and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors are used for offices. Office operating from rented premises can shift to this place once it is completed. This way Govt will save money and solve the parking problem. Regarding the parking hassle at Police Bazar, the MTC land is totally vacant and Government can plan it like it did with the MUDA complex which I think will accommodate at least a thousand vehicles plus shopping complex at the road level. Government should be able to earn good revenue out of this. Another problem is the entrance to Shillong Peak from the main road at 5th Mile Upper Shillong.
This single-lane narrow road is difficult for two vehicles to negotiate and considering that the tourist flow to Shillong has increased and the volume of traffic on this route quite high there is every chance of collision of vehicles coming from opposite directions. The road is also in a pathetic condition right up to the Air Force gate. So, Government should not only repair the present road but also make it a doublelane one. Then there is the problem of tourists and even local visitors being harassed at the Air Force Gate. When the tourists visit the view point at Shillong Peak, they are stopped at the Air Force gate and the driver’s license must be submitted there. This tends to create a jam as it takes a while just to get the entry card. Sometimes the Air Force runs short of entry cards so people have to wait for a tourist vehicle to return from the viewpoint and deposit their card before another vehicle is allowed to enter. From the Air Force Gate and until the entry to the view point from where we take the left turn, the road belongs to the State Govt. Also just before reaching the Air Force gate on the left hand side the hill belongs to the Govt or to the clans. I have passed through that rough road and found that a proper road can be constructed through that hill to the viewpoint. The Govt should construct that road to the Viewpoint so that visitors will not have to be delayed by having to seek permission from the Air Force authorities to enter this tourist spot. I request the Govt. to take a serious view of my suggestions and do the needful in the interest of the public
Yours etc.,
B Khongwar,
Shillong-4
Insensitive bank manager!
Editor,
I wish to draw the attention of the public of the state and of Bhoirymbong in particular, of the crude and inappropriate behaviour of the Branch Manager of Meghalaya Rural Bank, Bhoirymbong. On July 7, 2016, I went to the Meghalaya Rural Bank at Bhoirymbong simply for an NOC that would indicate that I have not taken any loan from the said bank. For the simple clarification and for a signature I had to approach the lady Branch Manager. In my years of experience in dealing with any bank whether as a student or a professional, I have never come across a bank professional who lacks etiquette and sensitivity as this lady Branch Manager. First the lady asked for my EPIC which I provided her with. She took it and asked for my name and I gave her my full name. She asked for my mother’s name and I mentioned ‘late’ before her name since my mother passed away over two decades ago and she wrote my mother’s name on the photocopied EPIC of mine. After that, the lady then wanted to know my father’s name and I gave her his name. In a tone laced with suspicion she asked me if ‘this man’ is my father (une u briew u dei u kpa jong phi seh?). I was so hurt and shocked that she mentioned my father as ‘this man’ (une u briew) . To add to my distress, she called someone to check in case my mother took a loan from that bank. When the bank employee cordially refused to, she pinpointed at my father’s name on the paper and told the person to check on him instead. I am the one applying for the loan so I fail to understand why my parents (dead or alive) should be dragged into this. The experience of meeting with such an uncouth person left me shaken and my heart goes out to the simple and fear-stricken citizens of Bhoirymbong, Ri Bhoi District in particular. It also seems that I am not the first unfortunate client who had an uncomfortable encounter with this lady. If Meghalaya Rural Bank needs clients I would suggest that its service providers, with special reference to the lady mentioned above, undergo a training on professional etiquette added with a human touch. I hope the concerned authorities of the Rural Bank in the State take prompt action against this person so that others, especially the simple and uneducated rural folks, do not face such harassment.
Yours etc.,
Name withheld on request