Editor,
The bold step taken by Hon’ble Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma not to enroll for Aadhaar No. is a move against intrusion into our fundamental rights to privacy. A personal suggestion to the CM is for the State Government of Meghalaya to take a cabinet decision to withhold further enrolment for Aadhaar card. Government of India may be requested to review linking of the Unique Identification Aadhaar Number to banks, for educational entrance examinations, etc as the various messages that we are receiving on our mobiles are all warnings that our Bank Account is to be linked to Aadhaar and before December 31, 2017.
Yours etc.,
WL Lyngdoh,
Shillong-6
Commuters at the receiving end!
Editor,
I wish to express my distress and outrage at the frequent traffic jam on the National Highway right from Lad Nongkrem up to Shillong city, which has created untold problems for commuters. The frequent commuters on the National Highway are having a harrowing time everyday for the past two weeks due to the tarring of the road right from Lad Nongkrem. Commuters are stuck in the jam for 40 minutes to 1 daily. Office goers reach office late and so too others going about their business. The problem is exacerbated by vehicles overtaking despite the jam even while the Traffic Police department is clueless on how to resolve this crises. Further they have shown their incompetence by not being able to punish the undisciplined drivers. I wonder what will happen to the commuters who may be in dire need of medical aid and are desperate to reach a hospital in Shillong.
Now the question is why should the road repair/maintenance work be carried out during peak hours when the flow of traffic is at its zenith. Why is the district administration turning a blind eye and deaf ear to this acute problem? Is the Administration so weak that it is unable to handle the situation? Can’t they find a better way to ease the situation by directing the road construction company to undertake the work during the night hours when traffic slows down in order to avoid distress for daily commuters? The District Administration and the Traffic Police Department should take complete responsibility for the loss of precious time of the commuters on the National Highway (Shillong-Jowai Road). They should find quick solutions at the earliest to ease the situation. Will the MLA also take up this case?
Yours et c.,
Joannes JTL Lamare,
Nongkrem
Qualification of MPs/MLAS
Editor,
For the first time, at least one member of the Nehru-Gandhi family, Varun Gandhi, had the courage and conviction to admit that had he not been a ‘Gandhi ,it would not have been possible for him to become a Lok Sabha member at an early age of 29. While attending a program at Guwahati on November 10, he had also advocated that people from non-political families should come into politics on the basis of talent and not on issues such as caste and religion. Mr Gandhi said this based on his experience of the Zilla parishad elections recently held in his constituency where he ensured that talented people were given an opportunity to contest and most of them won. He has perhaps realized that no dynasty is a factory/production system where raw material is fed as input and a quality product (matured politician) is obtained as an output. A political party and centre of power to lead a country cannot be kept confined within the four walls of a family or dynasty from here to eternity especially in a large democracy like India. It has to be a national party consisting of talented representatives from non-political families for holding executive posts and functioning far beyond the ambit of filial relationship of a mother and son of a particular family. He also expressed his opinion against the present day culture that is prevalent in other fields like business, cricket and films and affirmed that it must end.
Yours etc.,
Samares Banerjee ,
Via email
Pathetic road condition!
Editor,
Through your esteemed daily, I would like to bring to the notice of the concerned Authorities the condition of the road near the CRPF Camp, Polo Area upto The Shillong High School. After you published with a photograph the condition of the culvert in your esteemed daily during the month of June,2017, some minor work was carried out after that. But the major portion of the road still remained unattended for which the condition of the road became from bad to worse. Of late all the vehicles coming from Mawlai, Lawmali etc. are also diverted through this road due to which it has become almost impossible for the people living in and around the area to travel on this road even on foot. As two schools are located in the area, it is apprehended that some major accidents may take place any time. Although we have taken up the matter with various authorities including the local MLA, but no action has been taken to repair/diverting the vehicles coming from Lawlai/Lawmali area.
Yours etc.,
- Dey
Shillong- 1
GDP growth not the answer!
Editor,
Apropos Dhurjati Mukherjee’s article, “Is GDP growth the answer?” (ST, Dec 4, 2017), GDP growth is meaningless and lopsided if it fails to generate employment. What India needs now is a job generating inclusive growth that can rescue us from our abysmal 131st position in Human Development Index. In spite of GDP growth, India’s unemployment problem has been growing since the much hyped 1991 liberalization of the economy. While employment to population ratio was 58.6 per cent in 1994, it has, alarmingly, come down to 52.4 per cent in 2016. It is time to have a paradigm shift in our policy from giving priority to capital intensive technologies to labour intensive ones and to improve employment generating sectors like farming, cottage, micro, small enterprises and tourism.
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata