.Editor,
As a resident of Shillong I request the concerned authority looking after the traffic movements of Shillong to kindly initiate necessary steps to discourage both side parking on the road behind the Pine Mount school, right from Hope Clinic to the office of the Bharat Scouts and Guides. As no right turn is allowed from the Civil Hospital point for the vehicles approaching from the Red Cross area, so the upcoming and outgoing traffic from Laban/Lumparing/Madan Laban area have no other alternative but to take the road behind the Pine Mount School. Thus, parking of vehicles on the stretch from Bharat Scouts and Guides up to the Hope Clinic or High Wind Guest House may immediately be stopped to ease the traffic movement in the peak hours.
Yours etc.,
Bibhash Dhar,
Via email
Aircel scoots from Meghalaya
Editor,
It seems that the mobile service provider Aircel has taken off to Malaysia with its booty. No wonder, with a crafty shuffle of the legal papers this company successfully got itself declared bankrupt. Do you know, till some days back it was making its last-ditch efforts to loot the extra penny from the unsuspecting consumers? Even I got tempted and recharged my SIM card with Rs 399 as the plan was for 84 days. But I could use the service for not more than 15 days. Will the company “refund” my money, and also the money it has pinched from the lakhs of other customers like me? In this age of capitalism, by mere declaring bankruptcy the company can be absolved from all of its sins. How is it morally acceptable and justified? Is it not a travesty of business integrity? Now we can’t overlook how Aircel customers are suffering in order to port out from Aircel to other service providers. Since the service has been suspended the customers are feeling rudderless, moving from the pillar to post, to restore the services through other companies.
Moreover, how is the company bankrupt? How can its owner – Ananda Krishnan (partner being Mr Raja Arshad…), one of the richest businessmen in Malaysia, having multi companies including media, oil, gas and properties be insolvent? His other business sectors are simply to mint money. But why is he not bothering to return the customers’ money from the income of other sources? One angry customer from Police Bazar remarks – “Such company owners are high-tech beggars with the digital pots in their hands because we are asked us to pay them online, lol!”. Instantly his friend corrected him saying, “They are not just beggars, but in some cases, they are like “robbers” because they disappear for good without refunding the poor customers’ hard-earned money”.
Yes, for money and to fulfil their desire to amass wealth these incredibly rich people can go to any extent. Guidelines, goodwill and integrity are only the initial eyewash to climb the ladder of material success. These business virtues and ethics might be just junked away like garbage if something goes amiss and the profit graph falls.
Does Anil Ambani not owe each of us money which we trustingly paid to his Reliance Communication? Please tell me if Ambani has refunded any of the customers’ money and also the security deposits to the tune of croress? So far not! Because rich men do not fear God, they usually fear less-money-in-their wallet.
What about the super-rich Mark Zuckerberg? Is he content with his vast fortunes? He is virtually not. So, his Facebook has other wings that shake hands with the depraved company like “Cambridge Analytica”. What is most bizarre is that we still call such people great men and we idolize them without sense and without shame? But I prefer to call them cheaters, frauds and uncouth brutes. They are never sent to jail, so they keep playing “golf” with the virtues of humanity.
Yours etc.,
Salil Gewali,
Shillong -2
CBSE a good initiative
Editor,
So much has been debated and spoken in various media platforms about redefining our educational systems and overall curriculum. It is a good initiative that the current education minister of this new government Mr. Lakmen Rymbui has gone ahead with introducing the CBSE curriculum in the senior secondary school. However, it is disheartening that in spite of having intelligent young students from various backgrounds, many do not get an opportunity to study in good schools due to high fees and tough entrance tests which is more of a hurdle rather than a facilitation. When we talk of the Right to Equality as guaranteed by the Constitution of India this should apply to all schools irrespective of private, government funded or missionary institutions by giving every child an opportunity. The government should regulate the fee structure of all educational institutions so that even the poorest of the poor get to be on an equal platform to perform or else all this talk of reforming the education sector will end up in smoke.
Yours etc…
Dominic S. Wankhar,
Via emai