Editor,
Your article on population pressure “Time for family Planning” (ST- July 15, 2017) shows that unless we find ways to control this explosion of numbers, all our development efforts will fail. Every citizen in the country is aware of the danger of population explosion. Since the days of Emergency, family planning has become abhorrent to our political and bureaucratic class resulting in a high population growth. Reasons for high fertility among the states continue to be poor education levels particularly for girls, poor health delivery in the form of institutional childbirths and care of mother and child. The marriage of girls at an early age with resultant early and frequent childbirths is another vital factor. A concerted drive is needed in these high fertility states at least for five years to motivate the eligible couples and provide services along with a scheme of incentives and disincentives. Involvement of NGOs, social groups and panchayats besides the government is required to create an impact for acceptance of small family norm. The mammoth population growth will one day obscure whatever economic status India is supposed to attain in the years to come. There is a direct relationship between population growth and the decline in the economy of a country. Population growth, therefore, should be treated with the seriousness it deserves. Unless we find ways to control this explosion of numbers, all our development efforts will fail. A super large population means first and foremost, millions of mouths to feed. If, heaven forbid, any serious food shortage occurs for an extended period of time, can we imagine the scenario ?
Yours etc.,
Vinod C. Dixit
Ahmedabad – 15
MeECL a voracious white elephant
Editor,
If government- sponsored/semi-government institutions/PSUs in Meghalaya were to be evaluated and ranked, I am confident that the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) would take the coveted last position! Coveted because these institutions seem to compete with each other for this position.
The service being provided by this so-called Corporation is disgustingly pathetic. Not a day passes without a power outage in any major city/town in the state, leave alone the other rural areas! What is more troubling, however, is that the service quality is declining day by day. And I can’t believe that this is happening just a few months into the general elections. Normally in the months before these Assembly elections, one observes better services like repair of roads (even if they last only 6 months is another matter), inauguration of schemes after schemes providing freebees; opening up of new development and community blocks and districts. But not so with MeECL – it is in a class of its own!
In this capital city of Shillong itself, especially in the Nongrah locality, the frequency of power failures makes one want to cry aloud! And cry it seems is the only option for the consumer, as all complaints are ignored! I have maintained a log of the power outage in this locality since 2ndJune 2017 upto July 18, 2017 (at least while I’m at home and awake). One will be shocked to see how many times in a day the power fails and for what long durations! A one to two hours failure at a time seems normal! To add to this, on most evenings one cannot use certain electrical appliances as the voltage is low and fluctuates. And one is given all conceivable excuses by the Complaint Desk! We consumers are not bothered about the problem; from where the line is drawn, in which nearby village the power has failed – we are paying good money and we want good service! Period! As I had once earlier mentioned in these columns, I had a discussion on the state of affairs in the then MeSEB with a retired Secretary of the Board – I was told by the official that the major problem lies in the use of low quality replacement parts and refurbished transformers from dubious companies! Observing the worsening service today, it would appear that the practice continues even today; I suppose old habits die hard! The government, every few years, financially bails out this organization. Why in heaven’s name is an investigation by a private body not instituted on the murky affairs of the MeECL? Well, logic tells you that it can only mean that the government officials are hand in glove with the Corporation officials in sharing the spoils! Otherwise, what else could be the reason for such a pathetically run, financially-losing organization, to continue to be allowed to operate as it is doing now?
Written petitions sent to no less than the Chairman-cum-Managing Director and the Area Manager concerned have yielded absolutely no result and with no respite for the consumers. And issuing just a simple one sentence acknowledgement to these petitioners seems to be too much work for these busy babus. They are so busy that such things are considered trifle matters; after all, who are these lowly consumers to complain?What do these consumers know? And why is the Chairman-cum-MD and the Corporate Director of all other positions, drawn from among the state bureaucrats? Why are not technical people who understand corporate administration and financial affairs, technical issues, and with a sound background in management, not appointed to these positions? And the MeECL is a massive Corporation – then why have a part-time Chairman-cum-MD?
On just this count only, (that is the pathetic power scenario in the state even worse in the districts of Garo Hills,JaintiaHills and West Khasi Hills), the parties forming this State Government should be shown the door out in this coming general election! Enough is enough! When these people come knocking at your door, just tell them that your vote will not be theirs as they/their party have miserably failed!
Yours etc.,
Eugene D. Thomas,
Shillong – 6.
A liberal voice is no more!
Editor,
The Shillong Times must be congratulated for giving due space to departed Chinese Nobel Laureate, Liu Xiabo, ~ in its editorial, “Great leap backward” as well as in Ratan Bhattacharjee’s article, “‘When you’ll leave me’ : Paradigm of patience and poetic protest” (ST July 17, 2017) edition. To muzzle his voice for freedom, Liu Xiabo had been kept behind bars for eleven long years. He is no more ~ no more behind bars and even no more within the Great Wall of China. But his immortal voice will keep on reminding us that all kinds of dictatorship ~ even dictatorship for the people ~ are bad. Dictatorship means centralization of power and it is always dangerous for the people. As Lord Acton very aptly pointed out, ~ “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are always almost bad men.”
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata
.