Editor,
The news regarding the Shillong-Dawki four-lane project had brought great joy and relief to the residents of the State, especially those of Shillong city. The stretch of highway between Shillong and 7th Mile, is a real traffic nightmare for daily commuters. There is not a single day when there is no traffic jam on this road. Sometimes it takes two to three hours to cover a distance of merely 7 km. On this account the four-lane project is indeed a long overdue need of the state. Unfortunately, the work progress as of today is quite discouraging. Every time that I pass that way, I get the impression that the work is at a standstill. Considering the urgent need for this road expansion, the current progress is very much wanting. From some reliable sources, I have come to know that the project has been outsourced to a number of small companies, probably who are not so equipped to undertake such a massive project. This could be the reason why the work is going on at snail’s pace. Reliable sources tell me that when the tender was floated, the renowned international Larson & Toubro Company had bid for the project. For reasons, not known (but which we can, however, presume) their tender was rejected and the work was instead given to smaller companies. Had the project been given to L & T we would have witnessed a faster progress of the work.
Larsen & Toubro have many mega projects to their credit including the 600 ft tall statue of Sardar Patel in Gujarat and the International Terminal at Delhi Airport. Recently, the Assam Government has assigned to them the mega project of constructing the longest bridge across Brahmaputra connecting Dhubri (Assam) to Phulbari (Meghalaya). I am sure that this project would get completed much before our Shillong-Dawki project. The advantages of giving such mega projects to renowned international companies are (a) the work would definitely see the light of day not like many projects in Meghalaya which are left half done and have become the laughing stock (b) the work would also be completed on time and (c) the work would be of high quality because such companies would never compromise with the quality of materials. Perhaps, if L & T Company had taken the Assembly House Project, it would have been completed long before and we would not have had the tragedy of “dome collapse.”
As citizens of the State we are mystified by the manner in which work projects are being assigned by the state government. What criteria does the government follow? Is it to save money and sacrifice quality? That would be a dangerous criterion because it would put at risk the lives of so many innocent people. It is time for those at the helms of affairs in our state to wake up and start working as honest, transparent and responsible citizens. It is time to put public welfare before personal gains.
Yours etc.,
Barnes Mawrie sdb,
Via email
Umiam Dam imminent collapse
Editor,
Collapse of the Umiam Dam would no doubt be a great disaster, but having had read the article written by Dr. Eladbor Laloo on the Umiam Hydel Project, and noting the geological investigations and foundation treatment done as well as the design parameters adopted for earthquakes, I think the Umiam Dam will serve its purpose , God willing, for many more years. However, disaster prevention/mitigation measures must be taken regularly , and reduction of vehicle loads is one of them, but more importantly impact loads of vehicles must be reduced. Structural disaster mitigation measures must also be taken to prolong the life of the dam. 60 years is too short a lifespan for this kind of structure.
But, again, in a Disaster Management Plan we must have alternatives. As suggested by Dr Eladbor Laloo, the alternative bridge must be located much downstream of the existing Umiam Dam. This alternate bridge will then connect Shillong with the GS Road, circumventing the existing Umiam Dam. This new road should also serve to provide an alternate route to the present Umroi Airport, as well as serve the purpose of connecting Shillong with the proposed Greenfield Shillong Airport .
Yours etc,
S.Ahmed
Shillong-1
ID card and influx control
Editor,
An intellectual like Toki Blah giving three sets of ID cards as a solution to the alleged influx problem is ridiculous ( Influx control ST 8-9, July, 2022). Don’t we have enough cards in our little wallets that we need one more? Cherry picking cards for self interest of only one section of the society is shameless discrimination. How does one explain equality and liberty under such narrow defined prism is beyond comprehension. The third category of ID card proposal seem like issuing ILP permits. Is Mr Blah advocating ILP under the garb of ID cards that too after shuffling the whole pack of cards who already are bonafide citizens of the state or belong to other regions of this country?
Ever since the digital revolution began we are tempted to assume that every issue can be solved with the click of a button or via the internet. But in reality it is not so. Give them as many cards and I can assure nothing will get resolved. We cannot restrict people from travelling or residing at our whims and fancies overriding constitutional safeguards which each Indian upholds. Recall why the High Court ordered removal of check gates following a PIL.
One may ask why there is apprehension in the first place given that there is no data to suggest massive influx into the state that is robbing the tribes of their rights to livelihood. The state has sufficient teeth to curb illegal migration in the first place. Whether that is being implemented or not is another question. Has there been any large scale study to assess the threat of large scale influx/migration by so called outsiders? And who are these outsiders and illegal settlers? Has the state defined them in the first place? How many people have entered and settled illegally in the state in recent times? On the contrary there is data to suggest large scale exodus of non-tribals from the state since the eighties.
Influx and fear of the outsider is a state of mind more than anything else. Burdening the Government with more policing isn’t the right approach for a modern and vibrant society. Don’t we have enough problems already? The less cards we have at our disposal the more we can walk with freedom, equality and dignity. Intellectual energies and human wisdom should be redirected towards upliftment, bringing people closer rather than alienating them from one another. We need to bring communities together and drive away fear and suspicion that we currently nurture. Rights of each individual must be respected. No tags attached. Dare I say it’s time we focus our thoughts on initiatives that can bring different communities together rather than wasting precious resource and time on divisive non implementable policies?
Yours etc.,
Bhaskar D,
Via email