Dear Sanbor Shullai ji,
Hon’ble MLA, 19 – South Shillong Constituency, Have you ever stopped to notice the water scarcity afflicting the residents of Harisabha, Howell Road, Sylhety Para, ABP Road and other adjoining localities in these areas? The string-like flow of piped water in domestic households is attributable to a created scarcity by the plumbers – who open and close the main locks inside the community water tank located near the Sanatan Dharma Sabha, Harisabha. In Howell Road, Sylhety Para, ABP Road etc., the notoriety of the plumbers is akin to the former. Many residents of Harisabha, for example, told me that they have to be at the mercy of the plumbers operating the community water tank there whether they open the locks of all the lanes in that locality. The plumbers there tend to open only a few locks attached to the tank – that releases water to every household, instead of opening all the locks, thus creating scarcity. In the other localities the plumbers are running riot, similarly, and playing with the release of piped water every morning and evening. These plumbers – who should be rightfully sent back to Bihar, Nepal and from where on earth they have come from, are ruling the roost with their notoriety in the above-mentioned localities in Laban. MLA Sir, you have a task at hand. Everyone knows how you take care of each and every locality under the 19 – South Shillong Constituency, but this is absent in the case of the more essential supply of domestic piped water. It is in the greater interest of the people of these localities that I am apprising you through these columns of this esteemed daily. Comparatively, if Rilbong – where I live and also a locality of this constituency can enjoy better water supply, what is preventing the other localities of Laban from enjoying the same privilege?
Yours etc.,
BC Paul
Shillong – 4
Crime against women
Editor,
We often roar that there is a rise in crime against women. But what have we done to stop this apart from making a few laws — “Significant rise in crime against women, children in 2021: NCRB data” (ST August 29, 2022)? Honestly speaking, these few laws and police lathis are absolutely “unable” to keep down the libido of males. With each passing day, an increasing number of sexual predators are up to hunting for easy prey – resulting in deep-seated trauma in the victim’s life thereafter. Well, how do modern times explain the rise of excessively “abnormal” sexual behaviour? Who is blameworthy for this sex explosion that is going to irreversibly pollute society, nay, the sanctity of households in “multiple” ways?
What is a most serious concern here is that now minor girls are also not “safe” even at home, let alone in schools. Whom will they turn to if fathers look upon their kids as sex objects – cases reported too frequently these days —- “Man arrested on charges of raping minor daughter” ( ST, October 4, 2022)? Nothing could be as shocking and despicable as this. It seems, like a virus that infects a computer and corrupts its entire files, the filthy virus must have infected the minds of such “evil people”. Their thought process is completely corrupt. They fail to differentiate between right and wrong and moral and immoral. We need not go far – in the home state at Wahktieh, Nongrah Nonglum, two kids were murdered by their father about five months ago.
Such criminal and sexual “abnormality” must have its roots in the upbringing of the child in the wrong environment, like the extreme climate crisis of modern times has its roots in the ceaseless emission of greenhouse gases. What happens in the outer landscape also happens in our mindscape. We may not want to agree but the law of “cause and effect” determines the working of all phenomena. Look at how war video games have made countless children insensitive and cruel.
What is worse is that now even our small children are fully exposed to a whole lot of dangerously vulgar videos/images/chats on the net/mobile sets. That may have an extremely harmful effect on their psyche from an early age. Its adverse effect will be more clearly noticeable after ten years from now. One strongly feels that now we should be concerned about the “mental ecology” as much as the ecology of the biosphere, as pointed out by an American ecologist Eugene Odum. Amidst such a “horrific” situation, a disillusioned Canadian actress Pamela Anderson also once said – “This is a public hazard of unprecedented seriousness given how freely available, anonymously accessible and easily disseminated pornography is nowadays”. Should we still keep silent? Are we so unconcerned about the future of our children and the new generation? I will not say much, but our silence will allow the unbridled lechery to take away the sanity of our civilization. Wake up before the perverts alone have the last laugh.
Yours etc.,
Salil Gewali,
Shillong
Of killer two -wheelers
Editor,
It is with great agony and regret that I want to draw the kind attention of the Administration in Shillong through your esteemed newspaper that road safety in this city has become precarious, to say the least. It is from my recent visit to the city that I observed deterioration in this very critical issue for the common citizens. Speeding two wheelers are causing havoc to pedestrians and are proving to be a danger to the lives of citizens. Over and above that the CCTV coverage is almost non-existent and wherever they are put up they are non-functional. Hence two-wheeler drivers have a free for all. They hit pedestrians and run to escape being caught. The authorities are also making no serious efforts to nab such culprits.
One such incident happened on September 20 this year when a renowned senior citizen – Biman Talukdar, a resident of Rilbong got hit and killed by a speeding two wheeler right in front of the Civil Hospital. He had dedicated his life for social causes and had helped many needy people of Shillong in many ways. His widowed wife who is a retired teacher of a Government School in Shillong, is now in a helpless situation.
Through your esteemed newspaper, I call upon the Chief Minister of Meghalaya to put pressure on the Police to nab the perpetrator of this heinous crime and to ensure that there are speed breakers at critical junctions in the city for safe pedestrian movement. There is also a need to install more CCTVs and to ensure they are in working condition. Also, considering the precarious condition that the unfortunate widow of Late Biman Talukdar is in, she should be given all help and succour including financial help, especially considering that she is a senior citizen and had retired after a long and dedicated service as a teacher in the State Government School.
These steps will immensely help Talukdar’s widow as well improve the safety of the citizens of Shillong.
Yours etc.,
Sima Mitra,
Via email