Editor,
The blue and green bins put up all over the city have as expected, turned out to be more of a nuisance
than help to keep the city clean. Apart from litter, people have started dumping household waste
and it has also become a convenient means for hawkers and vendors as well as government office
staff to dump their waste in such litter bins at the end of the day. One can see every such bin is
overflowing into the street, thereby creating small dump sites. This is a clear reflection of poor planning and lack of thinking behind the installation of these bins. Not only are these bins put up
randomly but in every nook and corner and sometimes even in distances of less than 10 meters. It
seems putting up these bins were more to meet targets and expenditure than to really be of any
help towards keeping the city dean. With this, the very objective of segregating waste at household level and the process of door-to-door collection without any open dumping is completely lost.
Litter bins are normally put up in commercial and tourist spots where human footfall is more and there is a
need to provide disposal spaces for tourists and shoppers. It is not meant for hawkers and vendors
and fast food joints and households to dispose their daily waste. Just walk along lady Hydari Park
after dusk or government office areas in the evening or any other area in the evening or early
morning for that matter and you will see the type of waste that Is being disposed in the bins. There
are milk cartons, tea cups, paper and plastic plates, baby’s diapers to plastic carry bags filled with
household garbage. Even If one looks at this from the angle of cleaning these bins daily, just see the
amount of work for the road cleanerd and sweepers and the operational difficulty they have to face.
Have some heart and perspective on city cleanliness and review this stupid decision of installing
litter bins in every nook and comer of Shillong city.
Yours etc.,
- Mawlong
Shillong-3
Quo vadis NEIAH ?
Editor,
Through your esteemed daily,let me air the grievances of the job aspirants in the North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda and Homoeopathy,(NEIAH) Shillong.It is now more than two years since that reputed Institute advertised various vacant posts.However, it is very unfortunate that after the written test was conducted the result of that interview is yet to see the light of the day. In fact, the first one was conducted on July 2016 but only to be cancelled out for reasons best known to the authorities of the Institute where the fate of hundreds of job aspirants is hanging in the balance.
After withdrawing that interview,the same has been reconducted on August 2018.However, 5 months have elapsed but the result is yet to be published. The “Ache din” slogan of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have evaporated in thin air.How can one expect such dreams to happen when a central institute itself is lagging behind.People of this region seem to be neglected from all corners.Concerned parents have lost faith in the Institute.They even have the right to seek explanation from Prof. (Dr) Pradip Kumar Goswami its Director, as to why this dilly- dallying tactics. What happens candidates that cross the age barrier? Are the NEIAH authorities playing games with the life and future of our youths ? We strongly urge the government to intervene so that successful candidates based on their merit can be appointed with out further ado.According to reliable sources, the Institute is handicappedly by lack of proper equipments and human resource till date.So, for how long do people of this region have to wait that their medical treatment through Ayurveda to become a reality.NGOs should also intervene to find the truth behind the delay.
Yours etc..,
Maximus Strongman Shadap,
Via email
Whither gender justice
Editor,
Those who are saying that Sabarimala’s ban on women between the ages of 10 to 50 from entering the temple is a matter of faith whereas criminalization of triple talaq is a matter of gender justice have indeed little faith in gender justice and more faith in the acrimonious religious discourse. This is more evident as the Supreme Court has discarded both Sabarimala ban and triple talaq as unconstitutional. If Sabarimala’s ban has to be revered as faith then we have to accept practices like child marriage and dowry also as a faith of a community in certain customs.
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata
Noise kills and blights lives
Editor,
The New Year finally set off at dawn. For me it’s another eve of the last year. I wished for peace, tweeted a couple of posts, chatted with few good friends and had a quiet dinner at home. Peace and quiet is undeniably a luxury for most people. But my city and the surrounding areas have chosen noise that has ruined our serenity. DJ Night had been embraced by most of the Hotels to cater to a select group of entertainment seekers on New Year’s eve. The bars and restaurants were rolling out their seasonal cocktails. The rock and roll goers were thronging pubs and hotels. Music lovers went mad at concerts.
Shortly after dinner, I realized that the tranquility of my surroundings had been totally shattered. Vehicles clogged the motorway, blowing ear- piercing horns. The road raging drivers blew their horns out of habit than necessity. The other day I left a movie theater with a fuzzy feeling in my ears. Even at my daughter’s School Annual Day, the sound was unbearable and exceedingly loud. That loudness is definitely not OK. Thus singers suffer from tinnitus due to noise exposure for hours while touring night after night. Does anybody ever wonder if the noise could be damaging our hearing?
Under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, Government of India came up with Noise Pollution (Control and Regulation) Rules in the year 2000 that were later amended. Section 5 lays down the restrictions on the use of public address (PA) systems. It shall not be used at night except in closed premises. The State Government may permit such noise up to midnight during festive occasions but not exceeding fifteen days in a calendar year. The maximum noise levels permissible are between 50 and 75 dB during the day and between 40 and 70 dB at night. In private spaces it shall not exceed 5 dB Do we follow those guidelines?
Excessive noise seriously harms human health and interferes with our day to day lives. It can disturb sleep, cause cardiovascular and psycho-physiological effects, and change social behaviour. As far as loudness for humans is concerned sounds more than 85 dba can be dangerous for noise-induced hearing loss. The prolonged exposure to noise can kill people from heart disease. We suffer a heavy toll of death and disability through exposure to excessive noise.
Many are not aware that the sirens on emergency vehicles produce 120 dB. Even noise from rock concerts is harmful to animals. Traffic noise alone is harmful to the health of almost every city dweller. Should I wear earplugs to concerts/festivals next time? The festivals are enjoyable and relaxing but we need to enjoy the sounds safely. The other day I could not sleep until the last shrill laugh at midnight. Hoteliers have no business to shatter the peace of neighbouring environments. Noise has to be controlled at the source itself. Are earplugs and bedroom swaps a last resort against noise pollution?
Yours etc,
Kamal Baruah
Guwahati