The power game
The Monsoon is here and so are frequent power cuts. For the past several days citizens have been facing countless number of power cuts often at peak hours, causing severe inconvenience to one and all.
Now, while the Power department and the MeECL may blame the Rain Gods for the power disruptions, citizens have been facing a harrowing time.
With online classes and the new culture of work from home becoming trendy since last year, those at the receiving end are none too pleased.
Speaking with the SJ team, a Shillongite who works for a Pune-based corporate company said his work was affected due to the frequent power cuts. “My schedule changes regularly because my company has clients across the globe. I mostly have late night shifts. The power cuts have been affecting my work but my company won’t understand,” he lamented.
Some residents have pointed out that the MeECL complaint numbers remain unanswered most of the times. “Children have problems attending online classes. Even teachers cannot take classes sometimes due to power cuts. Not everyone can afford inverters,” a mother of two kids from Laban rued.
While disruptions in power supply during the dry months is a problem that residents have become used to, power cuts during the rainy season seems to have become the new normal.
Lousy leisure
The COVID-19 situation in Meghalaya has persisted despite several attempts so far to keep a check on the spread of the virus. And although there has been a marginal decline in the number of daily new infections, the graph does not seem to take a plunge constantly.
Patient citizens, who, come weekend, would set out on their separate adventures, have now begun giving long, weary sighs.
Exotic places across the hill state have, for long, fascinated not just outsiders but even its inhabitants. A large number of people from the city venture out on Sundays — some on motorbikes feeling the breeze from the mountains while others just in the comfort of their cars. But are those days over?
Only this Sunday, the SJ team stumbled upon a small number of motorists who were leisurely making their way towards Upper Shillong. Moreover, some cars were also headed towards Mawsynram.
While people are making most out of travelling to nearby places, there is a general feeling among public that it is time to resume normal activities.
The apogee of vax
Hope is mixed with fear among a large chunk of people, who are waiting to get a shot in the arm for the second time.
It is in July and August when a majority of the people will be due for the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine and the city is abuzz with their individual ‘knowhow’.
While a section of people are excited about benefitting out of the ‘perks’ of being fully vaccinated, others are simply frightened of the second dose, which is being perceived as a relatively intense jab compared to the first one.
Interestingly, vaccine beneficiaries expect that those fully vaccinated will be exempted from testing and enjoy the benefits of other ‘perks’ associated with it, too.
Save everything else from the state’s SOPs, all people right now are stressing about is being exempted from testing after getting the second jab.
But when SJ team spoke to a fully vaccinated citizen to get an insight into being a beneficiary of the second dose, his reactions were neither astounding nor mundane.
“I do feel relaxed about not having to undergo mandatory test. I have the opportunity to travel to Assam and come back without much hassle. But apart from that, I mostly confine myself to a particular circle of people and follow all protocols such as wearing of masks. So not much has changed,” he opined.