Editor,
Through your esteemed daily I would like to appreciate your concern about the pathetic road condition in Police Bazar where the interlocking tiles have caved in and have not been repaired for a long time in spite of a number of requests to the PWD authorities even in the presence of our local MLA. Police Bazar as such has many problems as far as civic amenities are concerned such as overhead hanging wires belong to cable operators, MeCEL, Telecom Dept etc., which may result in some major disaster not natural but man-made.
The drain through which the PHE pipes are laid provide water connections to the households but such drains have not been cleared for years together and sometimes the dirty water seeps into the households through the pipe lines precisely because the road side drains are never cleaned.
Many street lights are not functioning for which a number of complaints were made to SMB as well the MeECL. As mentioned, the dustbins are not being provided by the shop keepers in front of the shops since all that space is occupied by hawkers and vendors. There are no litter bins in and around Police Bazar which can be used by pedestrians. There were litter bins which always used to overflow for want of emptying and cleaning and they subsequently vanished.
Just by putting up a signboard stating no litter zone will not be enough unless until there is a task force that can monitor the cleaning drive. Now it appears that the campaign “Swatch Bharat Abhiyan” is totally a failure in our area for reasons best known to the authorities.
With these surmounting problems, the residents of Police Bazar may not see their dream project of ‘Smart City’ ever come to fruition.
Yours etc.,
S L Singhania
Headman
Police Bazar
Will the SP traffic answer?
Editor,
I regularly commute from Jhalupara, by availing a shared taxi that goes towards Police Bazar. Up until Oct 16, I used to pay Rs 10 as my share of taxi fare from Jhalupara to IGP Point. But on Oct 17, to my utter shock and surprise the taxi driver asked me Rs 15 when I alighted at IGP Point. I enquired from the driver about the sudden raise in the fare. He told me that all other drivers are charging the same rate from every passenger w.e.f Oct 14. When I told him that there is no such notice or press release from the appropriate Govt authority he arrogantly told me that this is the order of the Taxi Drivers’ Association of Jhalupara, Barapathar and Bishnupur Shillong.
Hence, I and on behalf of public at large, would like to know, specifically, from the DTO and from SP (Traffic), Shillong whether the Taxi Drivers’ Association is competent to hike the taxi fare? If not then the Drivers’ Association of the said area should be taken to task.
Yours etc.,
M Chetri,
Via email
Where are our parks?
Editor,
All cities and towns have small or big parks. Public parks serve not only as a place to relax but also to remind people of the importance of flora and fauna and the need to protect the environment. Though most of our cities and towns have parks how many of these are well maintained? Very few indeed! The rest are unkempt. Let us not forget that these parks -big or small are in fact the lungs of a city. Not only do these cute little lush green spots serve as a relaxation hub for the elderly and the young but are spots that provide fresh air in a polluted urban atmosphere. A study into the parks of our cities will give us a shocking revelation in how much the authorities concerned give importance to them. Most of the parks have become wastelands and dumping yards due to lack of maintenance, negligence and sheer ignorance by the local bodies.
Some of the parks sadly are now on the hit list of corporations and municipal bodies which plan to convert them into shopping malls and other concrete monsters. The parks ,in most of the cities, once aplenty with lush green trees , flowers , play areas for kids today have become’ public urinal spots’ and at night haunted by pimps and drug pushers. If the local municipal authority is unable to maintain then let them hand over these spots to companies and organisations who are ready to take up the maintenance of these parks .The residents, young and old, also have to take part in the maintenance of parks. Let us not forget that these green treasures are the bridge connecting us to mother Nature and serving as oxygen chambers in an otherwise highly polluted environment.
Yours etc.,
M Pradyu,
Kannur
A regressive move
Editor,
It is most unfortunate that the Chhattisgarh government has taken a decision to do away with EVMs and go back to ballot paper voting system in the upcoming elections to urban local bodies in Chhattisgarh scheduled to be held in December this year. The move comes in the wake of Congress and other non-NDA parties expressing strong reservation about using EVMs in Assembly and Lok Sabha elections suspecting them to be vulnerable to tampering. The decision is only to be pitied as India is moving forward digitally in all realms. People, especially rural folks have already been accustomed to digitalization and they are to be further skilled to handle the ever growing digital applications in their day to day lives. Moreover, ballot paper voting process needs large quantities of paper and in this era of shrinking greenery, a lot of trees have to be cut to produce paper. Looking at the issue through all angles, one has to come to the conclusion that at any cost, EVMs should not be dumped to adopt ballot paper.
The election Commission, however, has made it clear that the EVM voting system is irreversible and stated that their machines, system checks, safeguard procedures and election protocols are fully tamper proof. If any political party has any reservation about the EVMs, which can be discussed with the experts of the EVM and thus their doubts or suspicions about the EVM can be expelled. So, when the whole world goes digital, India cannot remain aloof from it. It is good for the dissenters to recall the adage, ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do.’
Sadly, Chhattisgarh would perhaps be the first state in the country to do away with EVMs in favor of the ballot paper in the local body polls. When the rest of the country has embraced EVMs, Chhattisgarh is regressing. This has indeed saddened the progressive thinking people in the country.
Yours etc.,
TK Nandanan,
Via email