Editor,
An initiative by an institution like Lady Keane College of Shillong to initiate a professional course in travel and tourism management is a great leap in the education sector and we hope that other institutions would take a leaf or two out of this college. However, I would disagree with what the Chief Minister stated that education in Meghalaya has opportunities to offer to young people. If that was the case then why are families sending their children to different states immediately after completion of their higher secondary exams? We have teachers protesting on the streets and haggling with the government for their dues while students are made scapegoats. Is this the education system that the Chief Minister wants the young generation to inherit? The RTE Act has not been fully implemented in letter and spirit. If it was done why are we still seeing young kids out on the streets and especially in the villages? And why are most schools not able to accommodate talented yet under-privileged children? We do not even have a top-class agriculture college, leave alone a dental college or engineering institution of our own. How long and when shall the future generation strive with all these maladies around? We have an education system which facilitates “institutes” which are more or less fly by-night operators and nothing more. But we have heard nothing on the need to review and revisit the education curriculum and teaching methodology in these past years. Perhaps some soul-searching should be done on this subject.
Yours etc…
Dominic S.Wankhar
Shillong-
Undemocratic Party!
Editor,
Apropos to the letter of Philip Marwein (ST July 26, 2017) I would like to state that the boycott of the recently held Presidential elections by the HSPDP reveals the uncivilized and parochial mindset of the party. It is in fact a very sad state of affairs for a demo cratic state like Meghalaya in particular and our motherland India in general. The attitude of this party is highly unbecoming of a political party and hence the HSPDP has no moral right to seek votes from the electorates since they themselves have deviated from popular politics. In fact the HSPDP should change its name to HSPUP (Hill State Peoples Undemocratic Party).
Yours etc.,
T S Lyngdoh,
New Nongstoin
Wanted regulated parking at tourist spots
Editor,
Through your esteemed daily i would like to bring to the notice of the concerned authorities about the illegal and unabated parking of
tourist taxis along the narrow stretch of Umsyiem and Dawki road which have led to traffic jams and hardships to locals and
other passengers plying through this route. The problem is that these taxis park at every nook and corner of this narrow stretch at their own whims and fancies. Consequently what one sees here are frustrated car drivers who get blocked by these tourist taxis. Moreover, there is a lot of frustration, anger and swearing in front of the tourist, and it is not surprising that tourists are being given a negative impression of how badly disorganized things can be here. To make matters worse we also have the big 909 dumpers with their heavy load plying through this same road. It seems nobody in authority, not the local dorbar (Dawki and Umsyiem), not the police( Dawki PS and Pynursla PS) nor the district administration(West Jaintia hills and East khasi hills) are solving this serious problem. This mal- administration has to stop.
The concerned authorities must find a solution and stop this illegal parking once and for all. A simple advice is to allot parking space to these tourist vehicles and collect a minimal parking fee which in turn can become a revenue generation activity for whoever runs these tourist spots. No doubt the Dawki area has a huge potential for tourism but it should be in an organized manner. I hope this letter will be taken in the right spirit and that it will lead to the competent authorities taking the necessary steps.
Yours etc
Manuel Carey Lymba
Shillong 08
Invalid votes!
Editor,
It is indeed a matter of concern that as many as 77 invalid votes, including 21 from Parliamentarians were found during the counting held on 20.07.2017 for the Presidential elections where only law-makers vote. Persons not knowing how to vote in preferential system of
voting cannot be expected to be good law-makers. While plenty of educated persons in the country are jobless with regular increase in number, it is time that some minimum educational qualification is fixed for contesting elections. The Central Governmentand Election Commission should have acted jointly for some instant action to remove the system of cumbersome preferentialvoting for the Presidential elections since there were only two contestants. Rather voting could have been arranged through ElectronicVoting Machines-EVM with countable voter-verified- paper-audit-trail VVPAT for a fool-proof, non- controversial, economicaland fast system. Following the bitter experience of invalid votes, Central Government and Election Commission should take the Opposition into confidence for voting through EVMs equipped with VVPAT for the forthcoming Vice Presidential elections to be held on August 05, 2017 where again only two contestants are presently in the fray, with absolutely no need for a cumbersomepreferential voting system which requires voting through specially printed ballot papers.
In future, the system should be to have at least 34-percent voters as proposers for candidates contesting Presidential and Vice Presidentialposts to ensure straight fight between two serious candidates and abolish the need of cumbersome preferential voting system.
Yours etc.,
Subhash Chandra
Agrawal, (Guinness Record Holder& RTI Consultant)
Delhi- 6