Editor,
With reference to the rebuttal by Rev Lyndan Syiem to my article, I wish to implore on my fellow citizens to please refrain from commenting about, criticizing or attacking me personally but to instead focus and debate on the issues I had raised appropriately for the welfare of the society at large, for the simple reason that I did not write about anyone personally in my article.
Yours etc., Mankular Gashnga,
Via email
Traffic Mayhem in Shillong City
Editor,
Come daybreak on a weekday and it’s time to power through the chores ready to go out for the day be it school, office, getting groceries, opening of shops/establishments, the like. But stepping out onto the roads is what every commuter dreads these days. The reason? Massive traffic jams which stall everyone’s work leading to flaring tempers and road rage. So we start the day on a negative note. The brunt of it is borne by students who have to endure the long hours of commute in spite of short distances and more so when exams are on and the rain plays spoilsport, thereby adding to the stress level of both parents and children alike. This stress was evident over the last couple of days when traffic snarls led to children reaching late to school, along with the added burden of the tension of exams playing havoc on their young minds.
My appeal to the authorities is to revert to the old system which was prevalent at the Don Bosco Point before February this year. A traffic cop had then said that the change was for a trial period of a month. This system has failed as my fellow commuters would agree and resulted in massive jams. The old Jacob’s Ladder road which was built to facilitate commuters has now become an uphill task literally with cars stuck on a gradient during peak hours heaving and grunting all the way up thus becoming hazardous for drivers and pedestrians alike, not to mention the impact on the cars! Children seem to be on edge as they scramble to the sides of the roads with two-wheelers honking and zipping about like “Bugs out at play”, barely swishing past schoolbags and umbrellas when it pours. As a parent, I am concerned that the authorities seem to be turning a blind eye to all these inconveniences faced by the general public, in spite of letters and articles appearing in local dailies time and time again.
I hope through this letter, those in power, especially the SP (Traffic) takes cognizance of our grievances. Or will they do so only when a catastrophe occurs. Our children’s lives are precious. Let not the callousness of those in charge lead to grief….God Forbid!!
Yours etc.,
Angela Lyngdoh,
Shillong-14
MPSC depriving candidates of their rights !
Editor,
This is with regard to the Notification NO.MPSC/ ADVT-38/1/2017-2018/21 Dated Shillong, the 24-07- 2017, which is an advertisement calling for applications for recruitment into the Meghalaya Civil Service, Junior Grade. The maximum age of the applicants is given as 27(twenty seven), relaxable by 5(five) years for ST .i.e 32(thirty two) years. This is against the maximum age for ST applicants being 40 (forty) in Mizoram. Even the UPSC has 37(thirty seven) as the maximum age for ST applicants for the Civil Services Examination. This action by the Meghalaya Public Service Commission is laden with insensitivity to the aspirations of a huge number of aspirants who have been declared ineligible to enter the Meghalaya Civil Service for no fault of their own. Actually it is the Commission, for reasons best known to itself, that conducts the Meghalaya Civil Service examination once in 8(eight) to 10 (ten) years, thus depriving aspiring candidates of their rights to attempt the examinations on a regular basis. Perhaps their logic could be that candidates born during certain years are less intelligent than those born in other years. Or maybe, they don’t want to take the burden of processing too many applications or correcting too many answer scripts. Whatever the case may be, unless the Meghalaya Public Service Commission relaxes the upper age limit of candidates for recruitment into the Meghalaya Civil Service, Junior Grade, like in Mizoram, this would tantamount to depriving otherwise deserving candidates of a shot at cracking the examination. Naturally, instead of widening the talent pool from which to choose the candidates, their present action only does the opposite. Are the state’s best interests also being served in this case?
Yours etc.,
- Lyngdoh,
Via email
Is burning the dead a healthy practice?
Editor,
This is with reference to the talk of the town on the issue of fight between two groups of Shillong for the place to bury or cremate. In the above Bible verses,Jesus emphatically stated, “Let the dead bury their dead,” meaning societies especially in the 21st century which are still busy about death are dead themselves. Just like the present condition of Mainland Bharat where the topic of the day on TVs and movies is ‘TOILET’ – ,a place to defecate. Take any statistics. How many days in a year Govt and even private offices and shops of Shillong close or lose valuable hours because some workers absent themselves due to someone’s death. This includes both Christians and non-Christians. How can Hindus and original Khasis ( they love the word original) wish RIP to their dead fellow believers after burning them to ashes in crematoriums? Burning is a violent destructive act – a type of punishment like burning the effigy of politicians (here it is a real body) you don’t like. Each cremations burns 500 to 600kg of wood. Perhaps VIPs bodies need more wood and ghee. 60million trees in India are cut annually for it. In Delhi just for burning leaves there is a Rs 5000 rupee fine, But no fine for people cutting trees to burn people! In the whole world today only Hindus and non-Christian Khasis burn their loved ones. Even atheistic China buries it dead ! Can I burn someone and wish him RIP?
Yours etc.,
Rasputin Bismarck
Kolkata.