Editor,
The Shillong Times Platinum Jubilee celebrations triggered off a long awaited and much needed public participation in cleaning up Shillong. It began of course, as it should, with an attempt to clean up the Wah Umkhrah. The fundamental and basic strategy of cleaning up Shillong will depend entirely on viable plans on how we clean up our two rivers, the Umkhrah and the Umshyrpi and how we manage our waste. The issues are interlinked and co dependent on each other.
The basic issue is how do we deal and manage the waste that Shillong produces? This waste management problem is compounded by the nightmarish presence of single use plastic. Plastic refuses to decompose or degenerate; burning it is hazardous to health, organic matter in plastic bags or containers turn rancid and rot, emanating foul and fetid smells; stinking garbage then piles up defiling the environment and the atmosphere around. This is what is happening to the land fill in Marten. Marten is overflowing; it’s a blot to the beauty of Shillong and a shame of our inability to manage our urban affairs for as a society we still have to come up with a solution to the problem.
Marten falls in the 6th Schedule area, outside Municipality. The management of such areas is hotly claimed by the KHADC so much so that during PN Syiem’s tenure as CEM , even MUDA structural bye laws, ensuring uniformity of security of buildings throughout , were disputed with much furore and hot air. The supporters and champions of complete KHADC suzerainty sans responsibility over 6th Schedule Areas were many and the Synjuk Ki Rangbah Shnong were forefront supporters. Now Marten is falling apart; not only municipal localities but 6th Schedule localities beyond Municipality are piling their rubbish and garbage into this land fill. Question is where is the KHADC and its champions when it comes to management of waste of and in 6th Schedule areas? If Marten is managed and maintained by the Shillong Municipality, then why should KHADC 6th Schedule localities enjoy this benefit? Why one standard for MUDA and double standards for Marten? It is only now under the tutelage of Bah Paul Lyngdoh, EM i/c Trade that plastic has been banned in Iewduh. It’s thus encouraging to see the KHADC putting its best foot forward to ease the welfare of the common man and Shillong city. It is sincerely hoped that this new found public service orientation will extend to solutions for poor Marten too.
The point here is we have such self seeking, shortsighted and blinkered politicians, who cannot work together that public interest is often sacrificed at the altar of their petty political expediency.
Yours etc.,
Toki Blah,
Via email
No-plastic campaign
Editor,
The recent clarion call by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi during the G7 meet in France to do away with plastics is a welcome step to save our planet from environmental inundation. The use of plastics has reached such an alarming situation that not only drains and rivers but the oceans and mountains are also facing the brunt of plastic globally. The Prime Minister has taken a vow that from 2nd October’2019, the birthday of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, a no- plastic campaign will be launched throughout the country. To really curb the menace of plastic it has to be undertaken on a war footing and should be stopped from the manufacturing source to distribution and use by the public. Every state should enact stringent laws to stop the use of plastic. If we really want our country to be plastic free the campaign should be like the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan which has become a great success.
A lot will depend on the State Governments in the Country as to how they are going to implement this campaign for the betterment of not only our country but the entire planet as well.
Yours etc.,
SL Singhania,
Via email
Irresponsible issuance of certificates by BDOs
Editor,
For admission to various courses in NEHU, there is a provision to give weightage for domiciles of Meghalaya belonging to educationally backward areas on the basis of literacy rates of the C & RD Blocks. If a candidate belongs to a Block with literacy rate that is more than 5 percentage points below the national level literacy rate, 7 points will be added to the score of that candidate and if the literacy rate of a Block is up to 5 percentage points below the national level, 5 points will be added. It goes without saying that if the literacy rate of a Block is above the national average, no weightage will be given. The certificate in this regard should be issued by the Block Development Officer (BDO). The census data is freely available online and estimates can be obtained at various levels – national, state, district, Block and town or village level and hence anyone can calculate and verify the claims given in the certificate.
Year after year the BDOs of many Blocks have been giving false literacy rate certificates, thereby giving false hopes to the candidates. Some BDOs give certificates that read like this “… the literacy rate of the Block has not exceeded 50 percent…”, when in fact the literacy rate of that particular Block is well above the national average. Candidates with such certificates are shocked when the additional weightage of 7 or 5 is not given to them. They come to the concerned departments to question the authorities, sometimes with members of NGOs. This unnecessary hassle could have been avoided if the certificates were genuine in the first place. It is a matter of great concern that officers holding responsible positions give false certificates. This speaks volumes of the irresponsibility and lack of accountability in governance at the grassroots level.
Yours etc.,
Dr. V. Pala
Department of Economics
NEHU, Shillong
India: Wanted more federalism
Editor,
The decentralization of powers in an authority , be it in a family or in a state/nation is somewhat similar and follows a natural process.
Recollecting a conversation I had with a child psychologist many years ago, he explained that in a family, when a child is born, full authority and control is with the parents to take care and support the child, but as the child grows older, gradual freedom is given to the child to question and explore. When the child begins to mature he/ she is guided to make decisions and gradually encouraged to stand on their own feet and to take care of their own life and future and to become an asset to their family and society. But the family bond through the years still binds them through thick and thin.
In normal circumstances, if parental control in a family is absolute that does not allow the children to mature and stand on their own feet. Children either become rebellious or totally dependent on their parents through their lives. They become a liability not only to their families but also to society.
To put it simply, this scenario can also be applied in a nation’s centre- state relations because here too it deals with human beings. A newly independent nation needs a strong central government but gradually states must be given more powers and encouraged to stand on their own feet and survive and ultimately to contribute towards the Nations’ growth and prosperity.
An overpowering central government can produce states that will either be perpetually dependent on the Central Govt for their very survival thereby becoming liabilities, slowing down the country’s overall growth or they can become rebellious states that can lead to the gradual disintegration of the country and there are many such examples in the history of the world, past and present.
The primary role of the family and the state is to ensure that the individual gets optimum facilities with the minimum of interference to mature into a self dependent individual who will be an asset not only to his family but to society and the country as a whole.
The need of the hour for India to become a strong and a great nation is for the Centre and the States to work out a consensus for gradual and more decentralization of powers to the states. This process should also take into consideration and honour the treaties and agreements entered into by some of the states with the Central Govt especially the smaller populated north eastern states for the protection of their identity, their land and their resources. But these special protections should not stop the North-Eastern states from striving to stand on their own feet and also to contribute towards the progress and development of India.
The vision of the Maitshaphrang Ideology is to see that one day the Khasi community shall strive that in terms of quality, we will do away with reservation and we will compete with the rest of the world on an equal footing, because we have the qualities and the capabilities to do it and higher scholarships will be based on merit only. The Khasis that have reached a certain level of income should proudly announce that they will pay Income Tax.
But in terms of quantity, being smaller populated communities surrounded by much larger populated communities, we need absolute political reservation.
Yours etc.,
Michael N. Syiem,
Via email