Editor,
The news report on the dilapidated condition of the Umiam bridge, although reported years ago, has all of a sudden created a foreboding sense in the minds of the commuters who ply up and down this bridge on a daily basis. Knowing that the life span of the bridge has expired and witnessing the cracks developing on the stretch of road along the bridge and considering the increasing water pressure on the dam due to heavy precipitation these days, it is a matter of concern for every commuter not only in Shillong but in Northeast India as a whole. Tourists from across the Northeast and from other states of India travel to different tourist spots through this bridge daily. Is the Government not worried about the safety of people? An alternative bridge across the lake has been long overdue. What have successive governments done all these years? Are we waiting for the tragedy to happen and then think of remedying the situation? That would be too late and many lives would have been lost by then.
When we see so many alternative bridges being constructed over the Brahmaputra and then watch hopelessly at the only connecting bridge that we have over the Umiam lake for the last 50 years of the state’s existence, we cannot help but accuse the governments past and present of being callous and thoughtless. The Umiam bridge hangs like the Damocles sword and we only pray to God that the tragedy may not happen too soon. The government should wake up to this existential threat to the lives of so many citizens. I can only imagine in horror the damage that would occur if the dam should give way. Hundreds of villages downstream would be washed away, thousands of lives lost, property damaged and then we would be cut off from any supply of essential commodities and our turbines would stop churning electricity. Literally, the State would plunge into darkness.
In my opinion it is the urgent duty of the government today to seek central funding from to construct an alternative connecting bridge over the lake. Perhaps a bridge like Bogibeel bridge in Upper Assam could be thought of. The old Shillong-Guwahati road could be used and in my layman’s opinion it would not be difficult to put up pillars on the islands in the lake so as to connect the bridge up to Umsaw. The present Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways led by the dynamic Mr Nitin Gadkari, is very keen in expanding road infrastructure in the country. If the State Government puts up an urgent request for this project emphasizing its vital importance, I don’t believe that the central government would be indifferent to the appeal. It is high time that the state government consider this as the primary agenda in their development plan. On behalf of all citizens of the state, I implore upon the leaders of our state government to wake up and do something immediately lest it becomes too late to do anything at all. Let us learn from the “dome tragedy” and prevent another fatal mishap.
Yours etc.,
Barnes Mawrie sdb,
Via email
This is DNA of majority of VCs
Editor,
While expressing my sincere thanks to The Assembly Speaker, Metbah Lyngdoh who had come forward to raise his concerns on the functioning of the NEHU administration, this time in particular, I wish to thank Adrian Kharkrang for his grave concern as expressed in the letter ‘NEHU needs a dynamic VC; (ST June 18, 2022). Instead of tackling the urgent needs of our students of the Post Graduate sections as far as accommodation facilities are concerned the Under Graduate students who are grappling with CUET and also and enabling the rank and file of NEHU to improve their standard of living, the present VC seems to be obsessed with Japanese language, despite knowing fully well that for academic excellence, all nations in the world cannot escape English. And for Meghalayans please accept that the Khasi vocabulary for Science, Geography and Economics is very limited. Hence we are handicapped. I consulted my Bengali colleagues whose state of West Bengal had produced two Nobel Laureates in Economics namely Amartya Sen and Abhijit Banerjee, and also Jagdish Bose and SN Bose the world’s leading physicists about the richness of their vocabulary and they humbly accepted that up to the degree level they could boast of having a rich enough vocabulary but not beyond that! Even the Japanese need English and there’s no doubt about that. Perhaps on hindsight, this sudden love for Japanese language might be the outcome of our Prime Minister’s visit to Japan for the QUAD meetings. I am also concerned about this recent push for making Hindi compulsory up to Class 10 – a brainchild of Amit Shah and endorsed as usual by none other than our CM Conrad Sangma whose children are studying in elite English schools outside the state.
For the NEHU, VC to advise our Education Minister L. Rymbui who shocked the academicians of Meghalaya the first time around d when he spoke against CUET but later did a 360 degrees turnaround seemingly because of the coercion of the VC. But the public should know that CUET was simply bulldozed by the UGC Chairman without heeding to the views of prominent professors of Delhi University and other scholars who are critical of these modern multiple choice question (MCQs) with no understanding for concepts and no creativity either. This is the main reason for the dismal performance of students in NEET and IITs (now). Two college principals of Synod and UCC had expressed concern for the rural poor students with bad internet connectivity and who are largely computer illiterate. Truly education will be facing major challenges with these impositions from Delhi where the states no longer have any say in education despite it being on the concurrent list.
Yours etc.,
W. Passah,
Ex HOD Electronics,
St Edmunds College.
Rongai irrigation project and floods
Editor,
I am glad that the Rongai Valley Medium Irrigation Project is back in the news at least in the print media of Shillong (I am not sure if it has appeared in the electronic media), after many years since 1992. This news item appeared a few days ago in the backdrop of the flood fury which inundated vast areas of Tikrikilla, Phulbari and few areas of Rajabala constituencies and which submerged vast tracks of fertile paddy fields of Rongai Valley which also destroyed the embankments built by the PWD during the early 1990s. The irrigation project benefited nearly 40 villages with approximately 8,500 households mainly under Tikrikilla, many from Phulbari and lesser from Rajabala constituencies. The embankments were built to protect the floods caused by the voluminous backwaters flowing from the mighty Brahmaputra river combined with flood waters from Jinjiram and Rongai rivers from massive erosion of the paddy fields and destroying the paddy crops grown in the fertile Rongai Valley. Almost every year, including this year, these floods have brought about untold misery to the people living in that part of Garo Hills, including loss of cattle, human lives and standing crops.
What is needed is to solve this recurring problem once and for all, though solutions should have been found during last fifty years by earlier Meghalaya governments. This matter could have been handed over to expert agencies like the Brahmaputra Board or Central Water Commission who will go deep into the hydrology of these rivers and adopt appropriate plans, strategies and prepare DPRs etc. For necessary funding the government should move the Ministry of Water Resources because the project costs will be huge for construction of the required permanent embankment, which is very long, along with other items of works at the project site. If we expect the state government to fund the project it may not be possible to finance it for lack of funds. Piece-meal solutions for patch works will not work here because of many unpredictable factors and also the climate is unpredictable because Climate Change itself is unpredictable. However, it is good to learn from news reports that this MDA government has entrusted this matter to the Central Water Commission and something may come out of it. We only hope that the government will not forget this project because of the ensuing elections, otherwise the CWC will either sleep over it or not care a fig for the state government.
Yours etc..
Philip Marwein,
Senior Journalist,
Via email