Editor,
Many letters have been appearing in The Shillong Times and other newspapers and there have been endless discussions on the increasing traffic problems and dearth of parking facilities in the capital city of Shillong. While discussions and deliberations are continuing, some unpleasant ‘change of use’ is taking place in the few parking spaces which were created in earlier years. All these parking lots were earlier constructed by the Urban Affairs Department to address the on-street parking which was rampant in the city.
Things are changing for the worse today. Take the instance of the parking space which was created in Dhankheti. Today a larger portion of the parking lot has been occupied by shops and very little space is left for parking. In the parking lot opposite the main branch of the State Bank of India, new shops are being added almost every month. Ultimately, if the powers that be have their way, there won’t be any space left for parking. Even two years ago there were only three or four shops in this parking lot. Today, shops have come up along the entire boundary. Even now construction of new shops seems to be in progress. No consideration for the structural safety of the building or how it is affecting the circulation of public and vehicles or where the liquid discharge is going. One will dread entering the basement. It looks more like a criminal’s den.
Take the case of the parking space near Mahavir Park, one has to see to believe it. For namesake a public toilet has been constructed but use is more of commercial nature. In fact, it looks like a shop selling provisions inside the toilet. A few dilapidated looking shops have also been constructed right in the middle and God knows for what purpose. The same is true of the parking lots at Khlieh Iewduh, opposite Anjalee Cinema, at Mawlong Hat and other parking spaces, all being gradually converted to commercial use. How such ‘change of use’ is taking place and the concerned authorities turning a blind eye is anybody’s guess.
There had always been demand for converting parking spaces into shops on the bogey of creating employment but wiser sense had prevailed earlier. Now, however, it seems to be a different story. There seems to be no objection whatsoever from any quarters to such actions which go against public interest. It looks more like a complete surrender to the powers that be by the concerned departments resulting in a free for all. If the Government of the day has not learnt from the experience in the commercial complex located in the parking lot at Police Bazar and still wants to continue with the failed policy of creating employment opportunities by constructing shops all over, they may very well do the same in New Shillong area instead of destroying the limited infrastructure available in the city today.
In case the Government of the day has any sense of responsibility towards its citizens and concern for the future of the city, it will do well to remove all the encroachments from public places in Shillong and instead create other opportunities in New Shillong which seems to be developing into another government township without any provision for the public.
Yours etc.,
B. Dutta,
Shillong-1
Pathetic road condition in Upper Shillong
Editor,
Through your newspaper, I would like to raise a serious complaint about the pathetic and extremely bad condition of some portions of the the Shillong-Mylliem-Nongstoin Road. One portion is at Sawmer, Upper Shillong, and the other is near the Trijunction Area at Hynniewmer (just before reaching the bifurcation point from Shillong towards Mylliem or Nongstoin), which has caused huge inconvenience to daily commuters and which also is dangerous for vehicles to ply on. These particular portions of the road are full of potholes and are uneven terrain. During the rainy season, these portions gets flooded and cause huge trouble to pass through. The fact that these are on a National Highway is another fact that is greatly disappointing.
Through this letter we the citizens demand that the PWD Roads (National Highway Division) or any other concerned road department of the centre/state initiate repair of the roads immediately, failing which concerned citizens will be compelled to approach the High Court. We also urge the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Shillong to monitor this issue closely.
Yours etc.,
Ardor Hynniewta
Shillong -1
Desperation of flood affected people
Editor,
Flood-hit Barak Valley passengers in Assam have no rail and proper road connectivity for weeks together. Both the union and the state governments know that for an essential flight requiring 25 to 28 minutes between Guwahati and Silchar the private airlines have been charging Rs 6200 to Rs 24,000 per passenger for one way journey. For a very limited short period of time the Assam Chief Minister arranged special low cost flights but that facility is no longer available today.
The Civil Aviation Ministry, the PMO, the CM(Assam), and the administration are just onlookers now. This is an indirect support to exploitation by different airlines at a time when the situation warrants low-cost frequent flights between Guwahati- Silchar and Kolkata- Silchar sectors.
We request the Government to strictly intervene into the matter to bring down the cost to Rs 4000 for the short air travel between Silchar-Guwahati till the regular trains are restored. Similar action is requested for flight passenger tickets between Silchar and Kolkata on the same grounds. Additional flights in both the sectors are essential to mitigate public sufferings under the Act East Policy of the Government of India and also the Ministry for Development of North East Region (MDoNER) .
Your kind urgent intervention is solicited.
Yours etc.,
Prof Dilip Kumar Dey
General Secretary,
Pro-active Senior Citizens’ Forum, (A non-political organization of elders)
Silchar