Editor,
Apropos of the letter by Salil Gewali under the caption “Christmas not for unholy parties” (ST December 31, 2022), I completely agree with the writer. In the name of Christmas no one should indulge in such noisy parties and drinking sprees. Gewali rightly points out that such wild revelries are becoming very popular. This is unacceptable because it goes against the holy Bible and practices of Christianity. What is the purpose of being religious or practicing Christianity if our preachers remain mute spectators while immoral indulgences are being practiced in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ? I would call upon all Christian leaders to take these sacrilegious activities very seriously and consider banning them completely. I love to quote the last sentence of Gewali, “Frenzied parties and prayers cannot go together.”
Yours etc.,
Robert Lyngdoh
Shillong – 2
Umroi Airport: Shocking revelations
Editor,
On September 20, 2022, the India Awakening Movement (IAM) comprising Banshai Marbaniang (Chairman),Churchill Syiemlieh, Baiatei Lapang and Jatin Kharmalai met the Director of the Umroi Airport, Mr Rashi Kant. The purpose of the meeting was to get a clear picture of the proposed extension plan of Airports Authority of India (AAI), the statutory body under Ministry of Civil Aviation. IAM has also received complaints of infrequent flights of smaller aircrafts only. At present the only city connected to Shillong airport is Kolkata. There are no caterers at the airport, thereby forcing passengers to use roadside restaurants apart from exorbitant taxi fares etc. The expansion so far has been dismal with only two small parking spaces and the perimeter wall lying incomplete. The staff too complained of being understaffed with no roster system or relief on crucial days.
Why this attitude of the Government vis-a-vis the Umroi airport? The answer lies in the report of The Shillong Times where a few months back, the Government had floated a notice of where it is scouting for land which is about 20 kms from the DC’s office as the crow flies.
Let’s survey the feasibility of such a project. Around Mylliem in the west the Eastern Air Command landing ground is already there. Towards the eastern side there is limited plain land with the Umngot valley around. It is heard that the Diengpasoh area is under scrutiny but it seems to have ended in controversy.
To understand these shady deals the following revelation by the Director would help reveal why the govt is hell bent on abandoning the Umroi Airport. Time and again the Director has been reminding the Centre and the state govt to expedite the expansion, but all reminders fell on deaf ears. Rishi Kant had also given the proposal ‘Surveying In Expansion and Mapping Technology ‘worth Rs 7,800 crores to the State Government but the response was that the Government has no money. Another obstacle in the Umroi airport expansion project was because the KHADC denied the license to carry out the work at Umktieh and Umsamriang areas as per advice of the DGCA. Hence it appears that the State Government and KHADC work in tandem to finally execute the plan for abandoning Umroi Airport.
The International Airports Act of 1971 under the purview of Parliament, demands the expansion as planned by the DGCA. Three years ago the DGCA equipped with modern mapping systems complete with GPS support sliced one hillock from the landing approach side (Umiam lake). On resurveying they found that two more hillocks needed to be sliced but three items remained to be addressed. First, NH 6 needs rerouting for expansion of the runway (Boeing requires 12,000 feet for landing and a few more thousands for taking off). Second, a church needs demolition with a new one to be constructed and thirdly one high tension line too needs rerouting. All these would entail not more than Rs 100 crores.
A new airport would cost several lakh crores of rupees. It is said, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” Airports are not just birds but are worth much more.
Be that as it may, it is heartening to note that IAM will be meeting CM Conrad Sangma shortly. And this time unlike the MoU for the Casino, IAM will not be bulldozed or dictated.
Let’s hope Umroi Airport will, in a year or two, get the status of a national airport. Our graduates would then be gainfully employed in accordance with their skills. IAM also promised it would talk to the Director to help the villagers around the airport with jobs according to their skills.
Hopefully passengers to and from Meghalaya would be better connected and subsequently internationally too. Enough of the 140 Km journey with exorbitant tourist taxi fare (at times equal to air fares if not more), with traffic snarls and the summer heat.
Meghalaya, so long equipped only with land transport, could to some extent tolerate a minister with no technological background. Yes on land transport, there are MV Acts and parameters of Registration Certificates grossly ignored (naturally) by the minister. But civil aviation will not tolerate these indulgences. It needs a person with a high technological background who also has knowledge on Aviation Acts and protocols.
Let’s hope for the best.
Yours etc.,
W. Passah
Nongkrem
Timely advisory by Antony
Editor,
Recently Congress leader AK Antony advised the Party to win over the Hindus if the Congress is to beat the BJP. He had issued a similar advisory in 2014 after the miserable defeat of the Congress when the Party failed to win the desired number of seats in the Lok Sabha required to elect a leader of the Opposition. For the last two consecutive terms there is no leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. After the poor performance of the Congress Party in 2014 Antony had advised the party not to ignore the Hindus and also not to concentrate too much on minority votes but the Party did not heed his advice and faced the same crumbling defeat as that of 2014. Antony is amongst those leaders who had always remained loyal to the Party and his advice should be considered in its true spirit for the good of the Party. Antony went further as to say that the Congress should not consider persons with sandal paste and vibhuti on their foreheads as communalists.
This is the second or third time that Antony has offered this well thought out advice to the Congress leadership. In 1993, while delivering the Mathai Manjooran Memorial Lecture at Press Academy in Ernakulam (a Kerala Government funded institute for media studies), Antony had reminded the minority communities in the country that they should be grateful to the majority community for their safe survival and existence in India. “Love them and respect them. Your security and safety lie with the Hindus and hence do not create an impression that you treat them as a threat,” Antony had told the august gathering. His words were the fall-out of the anti-Hindu feeling generated in the aftermath of the demolition of the mosque at Ayodhya.
Rahul Gandhi is already on a long march -the Bharat Jodo Yatra to spread the base of the Congress far and wide and reclaim lost spaces. But this can be fruitful only when all sections of society are taken along by the Congress. There should not be any impression that the Congress Party is anti-Hindu. Congress leaders should refrain from making unnecessary controversial statements. For instance, recently a Congress leader compared Rahul Gandhi with lord Rama and another leader made a statement that Rahul Gandhi is the real president of Congress and Mallikarjun Khadge is just a namesake president. Suffice it to say that a long march is not enough to achieve the target set by the Congress for itself. It has many more miles to cover to reach the destination and that destination is to capture power in Delhi.
Yours etc.,
Yash Pal Ralhan,
Via emaila