Editor,
I would like to bring it to your kind notice the following problems faced by vehicle owners of Shillong:
There is a road that goes from Rhino Point and comes out at Civil Hospital Police Point, passing the Cantonment Board Office, which was earlier allowed to be used by all civil vehicles. Some years back this road was totally closed by the Military and no private vehicles were allowed to pass through. This led to a huge public outcry particularly as Lady Keane College also has the same entrance. Hence our late Home Minister, HS Lyngdoh intervened in the matter for re-opening of that road to civil traffic.
It is learnt that he, along with the Deputy Commissioner, Director General of Police, Superintendent of Police and other officials of the Home Department had meetings with the GOC and officials of the Cantonment Board and, after long discussion and various suggestions, the road was re-opened for the public to enter from Rhino Point side and come out at Civil Hospital Point between 6 AM and 6 PM, except on Sundays and National Holidays. All these years this system was operating very smoothly.
Suddenly in the last six months or so, the military authorities have once again closed that road for the general public having put a guard and a barricade to stop all civil vehicles entering there. This has again created huge problems for the civilian vehicle owners and has also led to traffic jams on the main road.
I would therefore request the Government of Meghalaya to kindly find out the reason for closing the road again because it is reliably learnt that civil traffic movement was allowed by the Cantonment authorities through an agreement signed between them and the Govt. of Meghalaya and closing the road is a breach thereof. I would further request that the matter may please be taken up appropriately so that the road is re-opened to the public in larger public interest.
Yours etc.,
- KHONGSAR
Shillong-4
Sexual assault of children
Editor,
This refers to your report, “Accused in sexual assault of minors arrested in WKH” (ST, Feb 12, 2017). It is not that there is a sudden increase in crime against children but the reality is that such cases are being reported more now as people are coming out and speaking about it. It clearly shows that crimes against children tend to be local crimes with the vast majority taking place within the home or family circle. Trafficking of minor boys and girls has also increased -these children are trafficked for labour, begging as well as sexual abuse. One can observe that social values have degraded over the years. Parents have high expectations from their children and when they fail to live up to the expectations, they take the wrong path because of which other youths of their age fall victim to wrongdoings. Children have always been a soft target both because at times they are not aware of the fact that what is happening to them is wrong. If at all they are aware then they are scared to speak about it. What we need is for kids to be taught right from early childhood about the sensitive issues and lawmakers too should enact and follow strict laws to curb this menace and keep the kids safe. A weak legal system is yet another lacuna which adds to the menace.
Yours etc.,
Vinod C. Dixit
Ahmedabad – 15
Horrors of child labour
Editor,
Kailash Satyarthi is yet to get back the replica of his Nobel Peace prize medal which has been stolen from his home. However, he is the man who has donated his Nobel prize medal to Rastrapati Bhavan Museum. So, it can, easily, be said that he will not lose sleep over the replica of the same. Rather, he remains deeply anxious for those children whose childhood is being stolen from them everyday in our country. Recently, a junior law minister of the central government has expressed his desire to engage children as poll workers. This explains why we fail our children and their champions like Kailash Satyarthi as well. This is the reason why we get a new Child Labour (Prohibition and amendment) Bill 2016 with as big loopholes as allowing child labour in “home enterprises” and in agriculture and taking away the tag of “hazardous” for 80 out of 83 prohibited activities.
Unfortunately, these loopholes will further strengthen the vicious cycle of poverty. Child labour causes unemployment (by blocking employment of an employable person), labour exploitation (as a child gets much less remuneration than an adult) and unskilled and unhealthy future labour force (as a child worker cannot get necessary rest, education and skills). With 10.2 million child workers and 40 million malnourished children, India is going to face the consequences of a stunted workforce. A dismal future of our country is being constructed by failing the future citizens of India.
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata