Editor
Reading the news about a father raping his two daughters ( ST October 9, 2021) sent chills down my spine accompanied with a sense of disgust and anger over the heinous act of immorality and wickedness in human beings. Rape has become so rampant these days, that we read and watch the news narrating horrifying stories of girls and women falling prey to rape. Step-fathers violating their step-daughters have been reported many times but to read of a father violating the honour of his two minor daughters repeatedly brings shame and disgrace on humankind as a whole. What is even more shocking is that those who have knowledge of this man’s bestial act kept quiet about it. How could a mother do that? How could she turn a blind eye to the evil acts of her husband? Any sane human being, a woman and a mother at that, would have gone to any extent to punish the beast. It makes me wonder if the father who is the devil incarnate and the mother who is a worshipper of this devil have lost their inner voice and conscience. I wonder if the father feels no shame and fear for what he has done. It saddens me that human values have degenerated to this level. No punishment could be pronounced as the most adequate and befitting punishment for the father, the mother and the uncle that would help wipe out the pain, the humiliation and the scar of the two girls. What sort of punishment will the judiciary pronounce and when?
Yours etc.,
Jenniefer Dkhar,
Via email
Waste segregation: Need of the hour
Editor
Giving thought to the recent crisis of dumping of garbage in Jowai town, waste minimization becomes a prime agenda. Waste minimization is an approach to reduce the amount of waste produced. It includes source reduction, use of recyclable products, purchasing policy, segregation, stock management etc. Out of the five, waste segregation is the key to waste minimization. It is essential for effective waste management, improves public health protection and must be done according to specific treatment and disposal requirements. Waste is either dumped on landfill sites or water bodies. Our landfills are brimming with so much urban waste and the rivers that once upon a time flowed majestically are nothing but oversized drains now. It is high time that we put into practice the method of waste sorting. And it must start at the household level. Each one of us is responsible for what goes into the dump.
Waste must be segregated into: Wet/Kitchen waste, Dry waste and E-waste. Wet/Kitchen waste or biodegradable waste can quickly be broken down by microorganisms in normal environmental conditions and hence, can produce compost to be used as fertilizers and to improve the soil for plantation. Dry waste – Recyclable waste like glass bottles, newspapers, metal scraps etc. must be submitted to local scrap dealers or recycling centres. Reusing or repurposing items must be encouraged until it has reached a point where it can no longer serve a purpose. E-waste – Electronics, bulky fridge or hazardous tube lights, bulbs, batteries, monitors and anything that contains chemicals, the non-hazardous items like cables, chargers, phones etc. must be collected and submitted to e-waste drop off points or online collection services or recycling centres, following a yearly disposal process or monthly in case of workplaces.
Pharmaceutical waste, medical waste along with sanitary waste can produce numerous diseases. In order to avoid this, such waste must be incinerated or encapsulated rather than disposing them into landfills. Sanitary waste like diapers and pads can be properly wrapped and some marks must be put on them for easy identification.
Once waste segregation becomes a way of life, individual efforts along with the coordination of the Municipal Corporations/Boards and the Health Department, we can avert the biggest of the garbage crisis.
Yours etc.,
Libya Wallang,
Via email
Sports a neglected field in education
Editor,
It was astonishing and mind-boggling too for readers and patrons of your newspaper to read of the systematic failure and deceptive nature of the officials sitting on their salary-driven chairs for neglecting a crucial extra co-curricular activity like sports as an important subject in schools. This speaks volumes of the deliberate neglect of sporting activities among the youth, many of whom have the potential to win medals if well groomed. With around 14, 694 schools in various categories across the state and where most or all of these schools have Physical Education Training PET as an activity, it is shocking to learn that there are just four physical education trainers in the entire state. This raises many questions about the functioning of the Education Department, especially of those who sit on such crucial decisions. While the Chief Minister spoke so well about the State Sports Policy and also about the youth policy and how sports could propel interested people to take it up as a career, the RTI revelations by HITO are shocking. While under Khelo India the Union Government has assured support to the state for developing and training young sportsmen and women to make them ready for the Paris Olympics to be held in 2024, I wonder how this will be possible when there is such a lacuna in the sporting sector. Time is already running out for us.
Yours etc…
Dominic Stadlin Wankhar,
Via email