Editor,
I totally agree with Jennifer Dkhar’s letter, “Hawkers obstruct pedestrian space” (ST Nov 27, 2018) as it has become a daily problem for people with disabilities as well as people who prefer walking over taking cabs for their daily conveyance. It had started with a little space on foot paths getting occupied by hawkers and people selling street food ; it has now reached a point where the entire footpath is being occupied by hawkers selling eatables, vegetables and other items for passers-by. The sole reason why footpaths in the first place are constructed is because people must not walk on roads but use the footpaths for their safety and that of others. But in a parallel world, the footpaths of Shillong are being utilised for purposes which are not half as important as the safety of people. As a result, walking on some footpaths has become so difficult that people need to push each other and squeeze past other people in order to cross. This leads to people avoiding foot- paths and walking on roads which might be fatal.
Apart from the foot-paths of our city, the main attraction, the central market, Police Bazar, is in a pathetic condition as well. The road between MUDA Complex and Hotel Centre Point is in such a bad plight that I have myself seen people skidding over the items that hawkers have spread on the road. Shoes, clothes, fruits, vegetables, umbrellas, jewellery, eatables, and every other thing is easily available on the roads of the beautiful Police Bazar. Sometimes, beggars also lie down anywhere in the middle of the road allowing whoever is in a hurry, to either bump into them or worse, even fall on them.
The situation is such that most of the time people would not want to cross the road even for important reasons. Conditions like these lead to disorder and imbalance in the daily lives of both the common people and for the people who sit on roads with the expectation of doing business. Hawkers not only obstruct the space meant for pedestrians but also create a lot of chaos and nuisance.
It is the duty and responsibility of the Government to look into this matter and come up with solutions. Police Bazar is where tourists land up first. Government should get the hawkers a new place or create a separate area for them where they can work without affecting and obstructing the passersby. This will benefit every citizen of the city.
Yours etc.,
Avantika Sharma
Via email
Coal mining not the only livelihood
Editor
The illegal transportation of coal that is carried out in full public view with the knowledge of the district administration and those in the present government is known to all. Whether be it in Jaintia Hills, Garo Hills or West Khasi Hills district such violations should be dealt with in accordance with the directives of the NGT and the verdict of the Apex Court. The unsuspecting attack on two civil society activists has been condemned in no uncertain terms and it is admirable that people including political leaders from the Opposition have taken things ahead in putting a check to the activities of the state authorities. There will be many unforeseen developments in the days and weeks to come before the 2019 general elections and the issue of lifting the coal ban will become louder and more aggressive even while other more critical issues are sidelined. There are many marginalized families that do not depend on coal mining for their livelihoods. But no tears are being shed for them. No wonder this current government has lost a lot from the 14th Finance Commission which is also a great loss to the state’s overall development. Hope good sense prevails on the Chief Minister and his Cabinet to set the right priorities for the state.
Yours etc,…
Dominic S.Wankhar
Shillong-3
Congress promises the moon in Telengana
Editor,
The grand alliance of four parties led by the Congress managed to put up a huge unified political rally on November 24, 2018 in Medchal to express gratitude to the UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi who was on her maiden trip to the state after its creation in 2014, along with Congress president Rahul Gandhi. It is debatable whether the credit for the Telangana state should go to K Chandrasekhar Rao and his TRS or to Mrs Gandhi as claimed by Congress leaders who indulge in sycophantic praises of Sonia Gandhi for their survival in the party with prized posts. While addressing the rally Sonia Gandhi accused Telengana Rashtra Samithi and K Chandrasekhar Rao of duping people and said that through creation of Telengana the only beneficiaries are K C Rao’s relatives, friends and family. Rahul Gandhi also in his brief speech echoed the same rhetoric as Sonia Gandhi. One dynasty is accusing another dynasty of deriving political mileage. Should the pot call the kettle black?
As Chairperson of UPA could it not be foreseen by Sonia Gandhi, with all her political maturity and acumen, that creation of Telengana state would result in empowering K C Rao to delude people and reaping dynastic benefits? Perhaps she was helpless because ‘divide and rule’ was the legacy that Congress party inherited from their British masters and was also in the genes of the Nehru dynasty. In the seven decades of Congress rule the party slogan of “garibi hatao” was implemented as “garibon ko hatao” and the slogan of “gaon ki pragati, des ki pragati” display boards even today bear testimony to the dismal developments made in the villages of Uttar Pradesh and in the split states of the erstwhile “United Province”.
In case the grand alliance led by Congress gets elected in the polls of December 7, the pre-election pronouncements made by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the rally like grant of special category status to Telengana, fulfilment of dreams and aspirations of the people, farmers women and youth will become promises that politicians make for emotional blackmailing of people to place them in a mire of delusion and are seldom fulfilled. Congress party and UPA have miserably failed to make the country “unemployment-mukt” and “hunger-mukt by providing two square meals to the rural people ” and implementation of development activities like providing housing and electricity to each house in the rural sector which constitutes the majority population of the country.
Yours etc.,
Samares Bandyopadhyay
Advocate, Kolkata High Court