Editor, I happen to be a close relative of young Trisha who lost her life at Krang Shuri recently. I was listening to a lot of people who had come to her place who said that most of these tourist spots do not have any basic life saving measures. I wish they would have some trained life guards, make life jackets available and compulsory, get proper rafts etc. I am sure Tourism Department can help generate employment for local youth too. Let us not lose more young lives. In this case it was not a case of being careless. The so called raft capsized while they were trying to board.
On behalf of the family, I thank all the persons who helped the family at the time of crisis, at the spot, at Nongtalang PHC and the local administration.
I also thank your esteemed daily for covering it so well and raising relevant questions.
Yours etc.,
Dr Debashish Roy Anilabash,
Defence Colony,
Bagdogra
II
Editor, Through the esteemed newspaper, I wish to draw attention towards the urgent need to promote safety measures at various tourist sites and recreation activities that are coming up in the State. The recent incident at Krang Shuri , points out that the fun of it all may come at a cost unless we are safe about recreation, namely water activities like boating and swimming. Tourists from all over visit Meghalaya and therefore, concerned authorities need to put concerted efforts in place to ensure the safety of the travellers. This will also help revamp tourism in the State. Providing proper safety measures is the first and foremost responsibility of tour operators and Government. Also, we should all remind ourselves that starting up recreational and tourist activities for the people is not always a good idea if we do it at the cost of someone else’s life because the dangers, most often, are not visible to the human eye. This is why the simple safety tip to provide and wear life jackets should be promoted for any water sport. Also, there are some water enthusiasts who have the life jackets with them but don’t wear them. This too should be strictly checked by the authorities. The recent incident should serve as a strong reminder that we need to seek , aim and follow safety and that the authorities should step up safety measures in such spots . Safety and security are vital to providing quality in tourism. More than any other economic activity, the success or failure of a tourism destination depends on the ability to provide a safe and secure environment for the visitors.
Yours etc.,
Manisha Pala,
Via email
(Un) happy Meghalaya Day
Editor, On January 21, Meghalaya Government fulfilled its rituals of celebrating the 45 (un)successful ( for the people) (bitter) years of Statehood. The Government had organized a number of activities in Shillong and other parts of the State and even outside the State. This is what Meghalaya Government has been doing since its inception which is nothing but a waste of public money as well as fooling the people because the real beneficiaries receive nothing. You name anything and Meghalaya is still lagging behind in terms of health care, education, employment, border issues, mining policy, environment issues, women’s empowerment and child protection, development and infrastructure etc. That Meghalaya is lagging behind does not seem to bother the politicians, because these issues are pointless and do not relate to winning elections. During elections politicians will just brag about the local and non local issues which have no meaning to our collective lives.
Today people are facing an acute crisis in every sphere of life and Government seems to have turned a blind eye to these serious concerns. May you have another year of celebrating Statehood which is actually a betrayal of our hopes and dreams. May the corrupt become more corrupt even as people look on in silence ( because who are we to question); may the looting continue in a more organized way and may the criminals prosper. After all we have politicians and bureaucrats who don’t take their duties seriously and abdicate their responsibility of handling all issues systematically and responsibly. Many of them just abuse the office they are holding. These demagogues use their rhetoric and emotional blackmailing tactics during elections. Where are we heading? We have become helpless citizens who don’t seem to have the courage to change our elected representatives despite the glaring charges of corruption and the abuse of the office they are holding. Actually the Government is without a vision and is reluctant to make Meghalaya a progressive and developed state where governance is peoplecentric. People, isn’t it high time to come forward and be the change we want to see? How long can we be apathetic and keep choosing crooks instead of legislators? Let’s not get brainwashed by rhetoric in every election. Time to reflect and act!
Yours etc.,
Banshanlang Marwein,
Mairang
Horror of rape
Editor, This refers to your editorial, “Rape of Children” (ST Jan 20, 2016). It is unthinkable, but every year thousands of children become victims of crime – whether it’s kidnappings, violent attacks, or sexual abuse. According to studies the reasons for the high incidence of child abuse could be poor parenting skills, vulnerability of the child in conditions outside the family environment – on the street, at work and in institutions – belief in the adage “spare the rod and spoil the child” and dysfunctional families. Unfortunately in India, there is no separate, exclusive legislation to deal with the problem of child sexual abuse. Child abuse has been going on for years all over the developing countries and in developed countries as well. The child often has no true realization of being abused and of the implications, until they gain mental maturity. Perhaps, lack of awareness and open communication within the family, fear of being stigmatized and not being trusted dissuades young victims from speaking up. By creating awareness among parents in order to monitor changes in their child’s behaviour is one of the methods to alleviate this problem. But if the system is reformed, we can ensure that such crimes against children and women are minimised.
Yours etc.,
Vinod C. Dixit
Ahmedabad – 15