Editor,
The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) has been raked up every now and then in the past decades, but this time, the tenor of the push is aggressive. The call for the UCC takes strength from one of the Directive Principles of State Policy under Article 44 of the Constitution of India. Presently, citizens are governed by various personal laws related to customs, marriage, divorce, inheritance etc. The UCC aims at replacing this across all religious communities with a common law.
My personal opinion is that this will infringe on the personal choice of the individual, which is not only influenced by religious belief, but also by what that religion’s scriptures provide for in day-to-day living. The underlying threat, which is obvious, is that this will bring closer to fruition the right-wing ideology of one nation, one religion, one language and one custom, destroying the hailed diversity of this great country and bringing further suspicion, division, and friction among the communities.
Reading the news item on the ST of 4th July 2023 where the Chief Minister is waiting to study the draft bill before making further comments (after reportedly earlier expressing opposition to the UCC), one thought comes to my mind. Even if the tribals of Northeast are exempted from this Civil Code, it does not solve the larger issues facing the rest of the country’s communities. We can’t live in isolation. And what guarantee is there that tomorrow it will not be extended to our tribals (who in any case, are minuscule in numbers and together elect only a few MPs)? And should we Northeast tribals be so myopic and say we are fine with it so long as the UCC is exempted for us? This is our country, and we live in it, and what happens outside the boundaries of the Northeast area will have its impact and affect us.
One question also begs an answer – will this Uniform Civil Code be applicable to the individual citizen only or be extended to have a territorially applicability? If applicable to the individual only, then being a tribal, what law will prevail? Will they be governed by the respective Hindu/Muslim/Christian personal laws or the UCC, especially when they are outside the Northeast? Won’t this be discriminatory in nature where, for example, a Christian, Muslim or Hindu tribal is exempted from the UCC while other Christians, Muslims and Hindus will be governed by the UCC? And, if territorially applicable, won’t the northeastern tribals be boxed in within the north-eastern areas, and once out of these areas, the UCC will prevail? Perhaps, the policy of segregation and isolation suits some people!
I leave these questions related to this contentious UCC to the legal experts and the state political leaders
Yours etc.,
Eugene D Thomas,
Via email
Action against rude highway toll collectors
Editor,
Highway driving is not always pleasurable. The 4-lane tollgate takes a toll on travellers on a regular basis. This Sunday was no exception. I was one of the witnesses to that. While returning from Guwahati, the toll collectors brought our pleasant drive to an abrupt halt. Despite the auto deduction of toll fee through the “FASTag app”, the employees at Pahammawlein toll plaza rudely forced my friend and the driver to pay again in cash with penalty. Though we tried to explain to them that we have a balance of Rs 4670 on the FASTag account, they refused to listen to us. What was most disgusting was that they spoke to the driver very “disrespectfully”.
What we experienced is not an isolated incident. Do such instances not leave a bitter taste for our visiting tourists right at the entry point to the state? This is a matter of serious concern. Here I would blame the officers of the National Highways Authority of India. Why do they hire such “impolite” jerks for the job? This is totally unbecoming and unprofessional. Does the rule book of the NHAI not outline proper job-employee hiring procedures? Why are they not strictly followed? There’s something fishy here, otherwise, such disrespectful people would not have been recruited. I believe the state administration should bring the case before the concerned officers of the NHAI. No traveler should be inconvenienced for the mismanagement of the NHAI.
Yours etc.,
Salil Gewali,
Shillong
Of accident-prone roads
Editor,
Now that the monsoon is well and truly on, it is anticipated and accepted that our roads be riddled with potholes. However, the road from Lapalang to Rynjah till MES junction is a nightmare which is man made. One wonders as to how the road can be dug in the middle to lay cables and be hurriedly covered with stones and soil, thereby causing untold misery to commuters using this road. Coupled with the rain, the red soil that fills the road is often so slippery that many times drivers of two wheelers find themselves skidding off the road into the path of oncoming vehicles. That school children are often caught in these situations is a disaster waiting to happen. Pray who then will be accountable- the cable layers or the department entrusted with maintaining our roads. How long can we silently bear the brunt of these untold miseries that we face in our daily commute. I hope the powers that be do not wait for a disaster or a tragic event before they start swinging into action
Yours etc.,
Aaron Warjri,
Via email