Editor,
While we were growing up, the library whether in school or the public library, was nothing short of magical. The quiet, neat rows of books when opened took one on myriad adventures. But a trip to our State Central Library these days is less magical though the adventure remains. Dodge a pack of stray dogs that have made the grounds there their home; jump over thrash strewn all over, particularly bottle pieces hidden under the grass; watch out for the sly rats that run the corridors and then investigate the case of the missing librarian. I once found the librarian in deep sleep lying on the couch. And don’t forget, every investigator needs his gloves – to prevent the hands from turning black from the dust gathered on the books. And look you must, because, the librarian is of little help when it comes to knowing where to find a particular book or author.
I appeal to the Department of Arts and Culture to please bring the magic back to our library. Our town has a beautiful library with a collection of wonderful books that could work as a lovely community centre, where children can spend quality time to discover books, where reading sessions can be organised on weekends for children and adults alike and where writers engage. It just needs caring for in order to bring back to life to this valuable intellectual asset.
Yours etc.,
Name held on request.
Recruitment of EI’s in Transport Dept
Editor,
Recently the Transport Department invited applications for filling up 6 posts of Enforcement Inspector and 15 (fifteen) posts of Enforcement checkers on contractual basis. It is shocking and mysterious as to why the government has decided that recruitment to the above mentioned posts should be done on contractual basis and that the process of recruitment should be done internally by the concerned department. It could not possibly be because of the financial constraints faced by the Government, since the MPSC had recently published advertisements for various posts on behalf of different government departments numbering 30 departments in all via MPSC /ADVT-38/1/2019-2020/31 dated July 22, 2019 for a total of 306 posts. If it is because of financial constraints the Government would have also advertised the said 306 posts on contractual basis but that is not the case.
Then the question arises as to what is so special about the posts of Enforcement Inspectors under the Transport Department? Is it because these are posts for manning the weigh bridges and there is a sinister game afoot by someone at the uppermost helm of the Transport department? Is the advertisement issued by the Transport Department a mere facade with the real intention being to recruit their own people for manning weigh bridges who would then act as the collecting agents of those in power? It would not be that easy to manipulate the recruitment process to ensure that their own people get through if it is done through the MPSC. An ingenious plan is therefore at work to conduct the same internally and on contractual basis whereby manipulating the process would be child’s play. Are those in power so arrogant to believe that the intellect of the general public is that low that they will not see through their sinister plan and that they will simply believe that the Transport Department would conduct the recruitment of the advertised posts, especially of the Enforcement Inspectors (an officers’ level post) in a fair and transparent manner?
Conducting a competitive examination especially for an officers post is no joke and requires a well established process, which includes setting of question papers from a wide pool of resources such as college/university professors etc., from across the country so that the same remains highly confidential. Does the Transport Department have the resources or the expertise to do so in a fair and transparent manner? Or is the question paper to be set by the Commissioner of Transport and then corrected by the Transport Minister?
The job of an Enforcement Inspector is to enforce the Motor Vehicles Act (MV Act), which involves penalizing of errant drivers who drive in contravention of the MV Act and realisation of fines from overloaded vehicles and even offloading of the excess materials from the trucks etc., as per the MV Act. Surely the Transport Department is aware that a ‘contractual worker’ is not empowered by law to do so. Or does it simply not care? Or perhaps the Government thinks that the post of Enforcement Inspector is such a high profile post that even the MPSC is not competent enough to conduct the examination for it! Or maybe the Meghalaya Transport Department has drawn inspiration from the “lateral entry” system in government service as introduced by the Union government? In the lateral entry system through the UPSC the Union government has sought to draw in the brightest, most qualified minds from the corporate sector to infuse fresh ideas in the government. Here it seems like there is a plan cooked up for lateral entry of Enforcement Inspectors to infuse fresh ideas for collection at the weighbridges. Have some shame! Paraphrasing what Jefferson once said – If those in power fear the people , there is liberty, When the people fear those in power, there is tyranny. Through this letter, I appeal to all right thinking people to stand up and not allow such tyranny in the governance of our state.
Yours etc, Wansuklang Nongsiej,
Shillong- 17