Editor,
A closer look around the localities of Shillong reveals an appalling situation of unlit streets where danger lurks. So much talk on energy conservation and use of solar lamps are mere paper tigers and empty talk. The mammoth state electricity corporation is oblivious to this huge failure to provide electricity to the city and its citizens, thereby depriving them of their right to safety. Street lighting is fundamental to the safety of a city but although the Government of India has sought to bring in the SMART CITY project, it shows the state authorities aren’t able to even resolve a simple matter of electrifying the streets, lanes and by-lanes. If it cannot afford to electrify every street it could at least try using solar energy or else what is the role of the Department of Science and Technology? There should be a convergence of ideas not divergence in executing those ideas.
Yours etc.,
Dominic S. Wankhar
Shillong:
Evils of technology
Editor,
Technology has taken a dangerous turn, and it hardly takes minutes to purchase anything on the dark web. Like ‘every action has an equal and opposite reaction’, every technology segment has an opposite side too. But a big salute has to be given to the Supreme Court for seeing the dark side of the internet which opens to a world of evils. There are other dark worlds of the internet like the dark web, deep net, sneakernet, deep web, darknet, crypto market, etc., which can be accessed by means of special software allowing users and website operators to remain anonymous or untraceable. This is a very dangerous situation because if someone wants to purchase an AK-47 rifle on the dark web, the transaction will leave no trace.
This is where the Supreme Court has stepped in asking the government to inform the Court within 3 weeks the time-frame needed for forming guidelines to curb misuse of social media. The Apex Court said tracing the originator of a message or content on social media platform is a very serious issue as it also involves terrorism, pornography, paedophilia, fake news and trolling. The Court also said,“ Nowadays, social media is used to peddle fake news, and violence is incited. You cannot simply say anything about anyone on social media and get away. The originator of the message has to be traced, and action needs to be taken against him.”
Hence the apex court is seized of the issue, which has started taking roots in the society and asked the government to look into the dark world of the internet and urgently take strict action to curb these dark and hidden internet worlds, which are like cancerous cells in the lives of the people. Social repercussions will be great unless the government stems it at the earliest.
Yours etc.,
TK Nandanan,
Via email
Down with nepotism
Editor,
Apropos the letter titled “Irregular appointments in MHRC”, (ST Sep 25, 2019), I wish to express my deep anguish at the SYSTEM which has become a wretched curse and menace to all honest and law-abiding citizens. If the allegations levied by the co-signatories of the aforementioned letter are true, then the Government of Meghalaya must lodge a full and impartial inquiry into this entire matter. No form of nepotism or corruption should be tolerated. I urge those parents to please file a relevant suit in the High Court and take this matter all the way, for the sake of their children. It is also advised that they write to the National Human Rights Commission and to the Prime Minister’s Office with all relevant facts in place. Justice must prevail.
Yours etc.,
Name withheld on request
Event extraordinaire
Editor,
The huge success of the Howdy Modi event has made political critics and opposition leaders in India restless and have begun to to arraign and comment harshly about the event .Some remarked that the Indian Prime Minister has stooped to become a political leader canvassing for the US President and some have gone to the extent of criticising and asking what are the ‘ takeaways ‘ of this event and what have we gained. To these people there is an answer. Never had a foreign leader in the history of the US hosted a US President in such a magnificent event and never in the history of the US has a President attended an event by an Indian Prime Minister, or any other world leader, with over 50,000 spectators completely non-Americans.This itself shows how much faith, belief and understanding the US has in India and Indians. The Indian diaspora showed the world how powerful and influential they are .So definitely it is not a matter of ‘takeaways and benefits’ but the strength of the Indians that was displayed fully on a world stage. An American president himself appearing in a public event fully managed by the Indians and for the Indians shows how indispensable we have become globally .The historical event simply was mind-blowing and showed the world that the future belonged to two great democratic nations and the course of world history depends on their unity as was visible in the chemistry of its two great leaders. It can never be termed a political event as some say, but an event that showed the unity of India and the US. It was an amalgamation of two powerful nations that is ready to eliminate and wipe away radicalism, terrorism and economic stagnation. The fabulous event no doubt displayed Modi’s calibre as a crowd puller and a people’s leader and the mega event gave him an opportunity to carve a niche of his own in world politics as an international statesman. The chemistry shown is going to be a milestone in the history of Indo – US ties and sure to benefit both the nations and the world.
Yours etc.,
M Pradyu,
Kannur