Editor,
One of the most disgusting sights one usually witnesses on roads, is the littering of the streets by irresponsible passengers who throw empty water bottles and empty potato chips containers into the streets from a running vehicle. I am sure every responsible Meghalayan would feel extremely upset with such uncivilized behaviour. Two reasons could be leading to such behaviour: the first could be because these persons are insensitive to public welfare and are irresponsible by nature or secondly because they find no place provided for the purpose. But for no reason at all, should one dispose of waste from vehicles onto the streets. This is a despicable act unbefitting of an Indian with a civic sense. However, I would like to offer a suggestion to MUDA if they accept it. Probably it would reduce such littering if MUDA and the department of Public Transport work towards making it mandatory for vehicles especially public transport, to have attached close to the passengers’ seat a waste box which could be easily detached. Thus the driver could empty it after every trip or at the end of the day. The drivers themselves ought to be told to instruct their passengers to use the waste box. MUDA could facilitate the project by inventing and supplying those waste boxes at a low price. I feel this could be a workable solution to end the problem of littering from running vehicles.
Yours etc.,
Barnes Mawrie sdb,
Via email
Making a mockery of the disabled
Editor,
This refers to your report on ‘Regional Centre for PWDs’ (May 4 2018). The meeting of our Chief
Minister and the Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India was indeed a matter of
‘Aache Din’ for the Disabled. On April 10, last, I had written a letter to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, with a copy to the state chief minister. In the letter I mentioned that an amount of Rs 1,06,513/- as Full and Final Instalment of Grant-in-Aid for the Year 2015-16. Your paper had reported that on March 26, 2018 the Secretary of the above Department had met with the Chief Minister to discuss the implementation of the ambitious programme Divyangjan in the State. This gave a ray of hope to this School for Children and Young Adults with Autism, Cerebral Palsy,
Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities established in 1986. The School had been receiving the
Grant-in-Aid from the Ministry since 1990-91. The Grant had been coming regularly in the months of November and March every Financial Year till 2013-14. The Grant for the Year 2014-15 was received on the 29th November 2016 and the Grant for 2015-16 arrived only on the 27th of March 2018. Our Expenditure in the Year 2015-16 was Rs. 26,46,778/- and 75% of this was Rs. 19,85,083- the permissible Grant as per DDRS. Our proposal and the expenditures have always been within the parameter of the DDR Scheme.
The sanctioned amount of Rs. 1,06,513 is only 4% of the expenditure and we see no justification for this
sanction. Hence we are returning the amount of Rs. 1,06,513 by Cheque No. 189513 drawn on State Bank of India payable to the Ministry. As Secretary of Dwar Jingkyrmen School, I have today removed the Notice Board in our School which had the following words:- “This School is Under the Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities”. Isn’t the above Ministry making a mockery of the present dispensation’s much published nomenclatures like ‘Divyanjan’ (Divine Angel) and ‘Deen Dayal’ (Soft hearted for the downtrodden) or are these strictly for the organisations with preferential affiliations?
Yours etc.,
Sajjad M Ali, Secretary,
Dwar Jingkyrmen
Press freedom & democracy
Editor,
Apropos your editorial, “Whither press freedom!” (ST, May 4, 2018), it is said that every cloud has a silver lining. When press freedom is going to touch the nadir, a special court in Mumbai on May 2, had sent gangster Chota Rajan to jail for life for the murder of the journalist Jyotirmoy Dey. The news came out on May 3 which was the World Press Freedom Day! It is a significant coincidence that highlights the need for speedy criminal justice delivery system to save our democracy.
Our position in press freedom has gone further down to 138 among 180 countries. India has continuously been sliding down from 133rd position in 2016 to 136th in 2017 to 138th in 2018 on the World Press Freedom Ranking Index of the international free speech advocate Reporters Without Borders.Freedom of the Press is now in great danger. Journalists like Gouri Lankesh, Shantanu Bhowmik and K.J. Singh have been murdered in different parts of our country a few months ago. There was a dastardly petrol bomb attack at the residence of the editor of the Shillong Times, Patricia Mukhim a few days ago. It will be a bad day for democracy if the Press has to work in a reign of terror.
In a political IPL match between the ruling and the opposition parties, the media cannot take the role of cheerleaders of any one team in a democracy. Indeed, the fourth estate must be the third umpire to help the umpires (voters) on the field. The fact of the matter is that dissent, debate and dialogue are central to democracy. On the other hand, democracy is the lifeblood of our Constitution and nation. So, those intolerant forces that are hell bent on gagging the voice of democracy are actually anti-national forces masquerading as nationalists. We must remember that democracy cannot survive without a free press.
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata