Editor,
Now I’m beginning to doubt the veracity of your report, ‘Govt to study reasons behind high dropout rate.’ (ST June 15, 2023). Just wondering whether the reporter is surreptitiously giving tactical support to an individual politician. The reportage, to me, is a very shallow and weak attempt to give undue focus to ‘Shangpliang said….. Shangpliang also said…’, repeated so often that it has nauseated me enough to stop reading the papers and write this caustic response!
The same points of utterances and action to be initiated have been repeated three times in your daily in a span of one week! What conclusions do I draw? A pat on the back reporting! Favoured reporting! Limelight reporting! Square peg in a round hole, reporting! See, I’m supporting you, reporting?
I’ll focus on just one point of repetition on what ‘he said’, (for it will be too lengthy if I commented on all), ‘The NEP would be customised to favour conditions of the state…’ I’m assuming he’s caught up in poor semantics! However, the NEP cannot be customised. It can be modified to adapt or to adopt! It’s not a cricket bat that we customise for a tall or short statured person! For if this analogy is what the Advisor has in mind, then we’re heading for a disaster.
How does one give clarity, ‘to favour the conditions of the state’? What favour? What conditions? Do I detect a negativity in ‘favour’ or a myopic interpretation? The Advisor must be coaxed into enlightening the public on the matter. Whatever the case might be, it is my fervent prayer (for I am a God fearing person), that an educated and well- informed decision is taken by all at the helm of affairs, to lead school education out of the quagmire and to arrest the school dropout rate. No one- man show, self- back-patting persons with capital ‘I’s’ and massive egos can ever carry a team of dedicated, passion driven workers!
Yours etc.,
Kevin Phillips
Shillong – 19
Another way of seeking votes
Editor,
There are different ways of seeking votes in this day and age but the manner in which Union Home Minister, Amit Shah has been trying to win votes in Tamil Nadu is beyond all norms of ethics. On Sunday last, Amit Shah was trying to obliquely seek a price from the people of Tamil Nadu for the installation of the Sengol in the multi-crore Parliament building recently inaugurated. Addressing a rally in Vellore to mark 9 years of the Narendra Modi government, Shah appealed to the people of Tamil Nadu to elect 25 NDA candidates in next year’s Lok Sabha election, “to thank the Prime Minister for the Sengol”. He further added, “A Narendra Modi government with 300 seats is set to be formed again in 2024. So now we know what the Sengol is for!
Yours etc.,
Tausif Qamar,
Via email
PWD has forgotten its duty!
Editor,
The State Public Works Department seems to work according to its whims and fancies although it is mandated by a set of guidelines that we call functionality. But the term functionality has been questioned in the court of law and in public spaces. An example is that for every speed breaker whether in the urban or rural roads the PWD has to follow a series of guidelines which is to paint them with visible markings. The same goes for roads along ridge lines and accident prone areas. Another example is to have markings near hospitals and markets. Since I often travel to different places of Jaintia Hills, the junction near Woodland Hospital before Ialong is a high risk, accident prone point but till date there has been no signal marker on that crucial junction, leave alone a proper safety or warning signage. Why is there no concern for public safety? I wish to point out that the junction near this Hospital adjacent to Ialong has witnessed terrible accidents and unfortunate deaths due to the callousness of the PWD in abdicating its responsibility. Will the Executive Engineer of this district take note of this gross neglect and irresponsibility before things get worse?
Yours etc.,
Dominic Stadlin Wankhar,
Via email
Why can’t we make Shillong beautiful?
Editor,
Shillong is back to square one. Two to three days before the G20 Meeting in Shillong there was a 24/7 cleaning drive by the Government machinery. There was white washing, painting, road signages, weeding, road repairs, plastics collection etc. Shillong really looked beautiful and clean wherever the dignitaries were having their meetings or visits. That is all fine but look where we are today. The Golf Links stretch from Polo to Mawroh MPPS, is strewn with all kinds of plastic waste, thanks to the fast-food mobile vendors and other sellers. From Rilbong point to 6th mile is again dirty and across Shillong we will witness the same story. Team Jiva is busy cleaning the roads and the corners of the city nearly every alternate day; other well-meaning groups as well do their bit, but how much can they do when the public is indifferent and careless. They eat and drink and the road is the dustbin.
Now my question as a concerned citizen is: 1. Why are the concerned authorities,be it SMB, PHE, Urban Affairs et al, acting only when Union ministers, G20 Members or other State dignitaries visit Shillong? Don’t we the people deserve a cleaner environment to breathe and to feel good?
- Why can’t the Government impose a strict ban on littering openly on the streets and tourist spots by imposing heavy fines? Simply writing or informing on hoardings will not do. We need the police force or any authorised body to take immediate action and deal strictly with such offenders.
- Khyndailad and Motphran area are the busiest as well as the dirtiest areas of Shillong. If government officers from the concerned departments visit the above places in the early hours ( 6 – 9 am ) and late at night, the sight is unbelievable. How SMART is Shillong considering we boast of the SMART city project. The other day I had written on broken cables and wires strewn across the city but who cares?
I hope this letter is read and given a sane thought by all. Shillongites, Please take care of your own city just as you care for your own homes. Stop throwing trash from your vehicles or dump garbage on roadsides or drains. Thanks for maintaining cleanliness.
A word of deep appreciation for Operation Clean-up team along with Team Jiva who have been cleaning rivers and other public spaces for several years now.
Let’s make our city clean again. We can do it if each one of us lives and behaves as responsible citizens.
Yours etc.,
Reward Rymbai,
Via email