Editor,
It is indeed a welcome decision by the Government to explore ways to reopen tourism in the state by allowing only tourists that have taken the double doses of Covid vaccine (“Govt. may allow vaccinated tourists to enter state” -ST July 16). It is time to start somewhere and government should explore ways and means to assuage the grief of people relying on tourism. More than anything else the loss of jobs and livelihoods has hit people the hardest.
On my visit to Nongriat in early February 2021, I was bowled over by the humility of the owners and family members of the homestay at Nongriat. The serenity and mesmerizing beauty of those villages around are beyond words. In fact, such spots are assets to the state. It touched my heart to see those simple-hearted people in the village who eke out a living by setting up these humble homestays and others by selling locally grown products to tourists. Sometimes it haunts me to think how they are managing to survive at this time when their only source of income has been totally cut off. The Government must find ways at the earliest possible to mitigate their sufferings. Many of them had just started this homestay business in 2018-19. We need to help such entrepreneurs to sustain their initiatives. Their humility and virtues draw tourists to this state and improve its economy.
Unfortunately, those most aggrieved by the present circumstances and the poverty-stricken people can’t ever express their hardships and bring them to the notice of the concerned authorities. But their hard lives demonstrate how they try to put the pieces of their lives together if only we have the time and empathy to talk to them and listen to their body languages. Just observe their activities for a while and watch how much they have to shout to draw the attention of passers-by to their vegetables or fruits which they often palm off at throwaway prices especially as the day passes and it’s time for them to return to their villages. All these vendors might do better when tourism opens up.
Of course, the government must ensure that all the tour operators and associated service providers should be vaccinated; better with double doses. We cannot throw caution to the winds. We also never know if the vaccine-resistant variants could emerge from any corner and spread with a vengeance.
Yours etc.,
Salil Gewali,
Shillong
Getting back to work
Editor,
I work in the hospitality sector which has taken the most painful hit in this State which has been promoting itself as a tourists’ paradise. It is now almost three months since the government has locked us in without giving us any kind of help and subsistence grant. This sector has many verticals. There are those of us employed as managers in hotels and resorts. Last year our salaries were first reduced by 30% and this year we were told that the hotel and resort owners will not be able to pay us if they are not doing any business. Hotel and resort owners on their part tell us that they have to repay bank loans and cannot continue to dip into their meagre savings to pay staff salaries when business has come to a standstill.
Take the case of tourist taxi drivers and those driving local taxis. Those who have purchased vehicles with bank loans are struggling to explain to the banks that without income there can be no repayment but banks have said they are not authorised to waive off instalments. There are cleaners, bell boys/girls, tour guides in different destinations who are now jobless. Is anyone even bothered to listen o their plight? At the end of the day the pandemic has been cruel only to those of us working in the private sector. Those in government receive their salaries regularly and will never understand what it is to not have a job and to face the sudden loss of income.
I do not want any charity from anyone. All I want is to be able to get back to work and this Government must realise that it cannot lock us down forever for fear of the rising cases. A time has come to take a hard call that we have to live with this pandemic. Just because our health infrastructure is in shambles due to meagre investment in health with almost no supervision in the past 50 years and we are seeing this failure new, the entire population cannot be punished. Those who have to answer to the public are the respective Health Ministers of this State for 50 years now. What have they done for the state? We see they have become rich but the state has become poorer.
The present Health Minister was looking after Health Department even during the Mukul-led government. What does he have to say about the poor state of health infrastructure? This state cannot even set up a medical college since the past several years. Those in the government of course are shameless. They are never held accountable for the list of failures that this state has accumulated. In this state, the back-scratching policy works. If you know someone in politics, especially someone powerful, your life is made. You acquire sudden wealth and no one questions anyone about the source of the wealth because we tribals don’t pay income tax. I was hoping that the Modi Government would straighten this opportunistic trait of all tribal states, especially their politicians who have made crores just by being in politics. While all of us are becoming poorer (and I am speaking especially of people like me who have lost our jobs) only the political class is getting richer. Is this fair? Everyone talks about change but after every five years we get a government that is more mercenary than the previous one. Where will we end up? Do we have any answer?
Yours etc.,
BR Khongsit,
Via email