Need for a timely solution
How would one react on seeing a large posse of cops gathered in an area or how would anyone behave when Khaki-clad people barge into their premises? Would they be afraid or curious about what’s going on? Residents of Rilbong have become nonchalant about such things. While the political class spend their time deliberating and engaging in verbal duels inside the Assembly, their orderlies including Personal Security Officers (PSOs), policemen and Home Guard personnel are left to fend for themselves. The vehicles are all parked on one side of the road while hordes of security personnel are seen moving around with nothing much to do. Longer sessions imply extended duty hours for these personnel. Except being provided with food, they have no seating arrangements or toilet facilities. They often find shelter inside residential buildings of Rilbong. Spotting these personnel both men and women hanging around various residential premises has almost become a norm. They help themselves with seating and shelter during their meal hours. Team SJ hopes that the government will take due note and make suitable arrangements for them before the next session.
SPEED B-U-M-P-S
The roads in Shillong are unique in that they have a few things that are not found anywhere elsewhere. They are of inferior quality, they can’t withstand rains and they have speed-breakers galore. Every street in the town is dotted with speed bumps. Now, there’s nothing really wrong about having speed-breakers. They are a deterrent to those who like to zip-zap-zoom in their bikes and cars. But there should be a limit to their contours. According to the Indian Roads Congress, the speed breakers should be 3.7 metres wide. To achieve the ideal curvature, the speed breaker’s curvature radius should be 17 metres and height should be 10 cm. But this is violated with impunity in Meghalaya where every locality or Dorbar Shnong decides the size of speed breakers and decides where to locate them. All speed-breakers should be painted but this rule too is ignored. Moreover, signage should be prominently displayed to warn motorists about speed-breakers but this too is given wide berth. And why do we have speed-breakers on the national highways passing through the town?
A breath-taking walk
Keeping tantrums aside, masks are not that bad after all. You may whine about breathlessness
due to masks and pin the blame on COVID-19, but have you ever wondered that masks don’t only protect you from COVID-19 but also from the smoke emanating from cigarette fumes? That’s right! Each puff is not just a nail in the smoker’s coffin but also that of non-smokers affected by passive smoking. With people blatantly disregarding the ban on public smoking in Shillong, non-smokers are forced to inhale the harmful air. A walk alongside a smoker can be a dreadful experience. There are times when the smoke even pierces through a mask that one is wearing. But how long will masks protect us from cigarette smoke? With rigorous attempts to produce a vaccine, the pandemic someday might come to an end. But will the public-smoking practice ever end?
Low decibel celebrations
This time the Festival of Lights was somehow muted as compared to previous years. While the sound of firecrackers were heard from every nook and corner of Shillong, the intensity and the decibel levels were toned down. The order from the Deputy Commissioner permitting bursting of firecrackers between 8 pm and 10 pm was mostly followed but some passionate children began early in the evening. The town dazzled like a newly-wed bride with lights adorning the façade of buildings and homes. Long and familiar queues were seen outside sweetmeat shops as people placed orders for their favourite sweets. COVID-19 may have caused mayhem and brought the economy down to its knees but it has done little to dissipate the hopes and prayers of those that take recourse to faith. Indeed, a little faith is what is needed for humans to emerge out of the pandemonium caused by the pandemic.