Editor,
Life is a journey of uncertainties. If we look closely, we have control over things/incidents only to “some extent.” In a fraction of a second, the uncertainty can wreck our castles of cherished plans/realities. Yes, last week’s incident of an inferno that engulfed a church building at Qualapatty will go down in the history of Meghalaya as a tragic episode. We have lost our 117 year old heritage Church of God in the fire — which also claimed two lives. For God’s sake, this tragedy should serve as a wake-up call. We should not allow such a disaster to happen again in the future.
Many heritage structures in the past had instantly burned to ash due to various lapses on our part. Timely precaution is a must. Electric short circuit is often one of the main reasons leading to such incidents in any wooden buildings. Unlike in the past, we have MCB and ELCB switches in the market that automatically “cut off” the power distribution system in case of any sparks due to short circuits. Let the government take serious initiative by thoroughly replacing the old main switches with the new MCB and ELCB switches. This will help to a large extent from potential fire risks. Narrow footpaths in the congested localities also restrict our firefighters to work to their full capacity.
Moreover, it is a known fact that our Fire Tender Service in the state is not up-to-the-mark. There are less than 1000 fire and emergency service personnel for the entire state. Between the population ratio and area serviced there is a huge gap. In case of any pandemic calamities and disaster, this shortage of manpower and resources might again push us into the abyss leading to massive suffering and loss of lives. I feel it is worthwhile if the Government considers roping in manpower from “Civil Defence Department” as well for the service. This will certainly boost the workforce of the much-neglected and withered Fire and Emergency Brigade.
We must arm up ourselves to face the unforeseen calamities head-on because God will not descend from heaven to extinguish the fires caused by our “negligence and complacency”. God did not intervene to stop the fire even in a church dedicated to Him – the Church of God! HE in fact expects us to use our brains and skills to safeguard ourselves from any mishaps in this life of uncertainty.
Yours etc.,
Salil Gewali,
Shillong
Callousness or inefficiency
Editor,
The fire that raged and burnt down the entire structure of the Church of God in the main city center and that also claimed the lives of two elderly people is very unfortunate. The entire episode starting with what led to the delay of the first responders is very crucial and needs introspection. I had in my previous write-up stated why we need to restructure our fire services and the importance of setting up Emergency Hubs at every Block level in the district. This is important so as to minimise the time to reach the place of disaster and resource to be spent. But I can say this for sure that none in the State Home Department are open to such an experiment. The answer is always about funds crunch. How pathetic is this !
Yours etc
Dominic S. Wankhar
Shillong:3
Centre should shelve CAB
Editor,
The entire North East is up in arms against the Citizen Amendment Bill (CAB)that is going to be introduced in the parliament by the Centre. Meanwhile, a powerful North East Students Organization delegation has rushed to New Delhi to drum up support in Parliament to block passage of the controversial bill. The Opposition Chief Whip and Congress MLA in Meghalaya, PT Sawkmie, said the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister should respect the sentiments of the people of the North East regarding CAB. Sawkmie further said that if the intention of the Centre is to pass the CAB without listening to the voices of the people of the North East, it would send a wrong signal.
The entire North East has been simmering for the past many days and boiling over with agitations which are spreading to Delhi too and if the Centre still goes ahead with the introduction of the Bill, it will not augur well for those who are at the helm of affairs. AASU president Dipankar Nath said, “The Narendra Modi government wants to pass the communal and unconstitutional citizenship bill to offer protection to illegal Bangladeshis. This attempt to pass the bill is not only against the interests of the indigenous people, but also a violation of the Assam Accord. Besides continuing with the movement against the Bill across the Northeast, we are here in Delhi to take our protest to the national level.”
Thus, a storm is brewing in the east and gathering strength to whip up vehemently across India and it is hoped that the Centre would shelve the bill taking into account of the people’s protest.
Yours etc.,
TK Nandanan,
Via email
Day & Night cricket a success
Editor,
The Indian cricket team has come out with flying colours in their first ever pink ball day night test match not only winning it with a huge margin but also setting a record by becoming the first team to register four consecutive test wins by an innings margin. A record number of fans present to watch the longer format of the game in a new garb goes to show that day and night test matches are here to stay and the cricket loving nation has welcomed it with open arms. When the path-breaking decision and declaration was made by the new BCCI president Sourav Ganguly to have a pink ball test many eyebrows were raised and doubts cast on whether it would be successful The Kolkata day and night test has proved that Ganguly’s decision has turned cent percent successful. The BCCI president has also promised to take the pink ball game to all parts of the nation and in a way revive test cricket which was not in the pink of health in recent times! Sourav Ganguly has rescued test cricket from fading just as he had rescued and led our Indian team to victory in so many tournaments as a flamboyant batsman and a valiant captain. Kudos to the BCCI president, the Indian team and thanks to team Bangladesh for accepting the invitation to play the pink ball test! Our team should now get set to play pink ball games against stronger teams.
Yours etc.,
M Pradyu,
Kannur