Kudos to Rangbah Shnong Laitumkhrah !
Editor,
Following the incident that happened on Thursday midnight at the Laitumkhrah Police Station, I would like to express my appreciation for the swift action taken by the Headman of Laitumkhrah, Bah Andrew Jyrwa. The people of Laitumkhrah have made the right choice in electing a very able and responsible person as the Headman. I saw a video of Bah Jyrwa visiting the roadside stalls in the late evening requesting them to shut down by 10 pm which is the right decision. As a resident of Laitumkhrah, I’ve personally had sleepless nights because cars would park near my house blasting music during the wee hours. People, mostly inebriated, would chat in loud voices and laugh hysterically without any consideration for people who need to wake up early and attend work the next day. There are families with ailing parents and sound sleep is required. Therefore, such activities should be prevented especially in residential areas.
I cannot recall how many times I’ve had to call the police on such late night activities but those fell on deaf ears. On one occasion, I had to call the police four times because nobody turned up to take any action. I am glad that someone like Bah Jyrwa actually took the responsibility to make the effort to put a stop to these late night gatherings when nobody could do anything in the past years. Bah Andrew, Thank you and I hope you continue to provide such service to the residents of Laitumkhrah.
Yours etc.,
D. Lyngdoh
Shillong- 3
Shame on exploitative doctors
Editor,
I express my sincere appreciation to Salil Gewali for the eye-opening letter under the caption “Why people fear doctors these days.” The letter points out very genuine issues, informing us of the real facts regarding how heartless doctors victimize the sick. It resonates with the experiences and fears many people have concerning the medical profession these days.
One aspect that stood out for me was Gewali’s example of doctors prescribing excessive and unnecessary medications driven by monetary motives. This practice has not only led to adverse side effects but has also worsened the health of patients irreversibly. My own close relative is the victim of excess intake of gastric tablets – Zinctac and antibiotics. Doctors never said they have bad effects on our body, like irregular heartbeats, BP, eyesight problems, kidney problems etc. They just prescribe the medicines without taking into account the side effects of those allopathic drugs.
It is very true that people are burdened with expensive medical tests, even for minor illnesses. In particular, when you visit nursing homes, they will extract money by asking you to do multiple medical tests. The test reports of Shillong hospitals will not be accepted by Guwahati hospitals and they again make the patients go for fresh rounds of medical tests. This is completely unethical and is aimed at looting innocent people. Why is the government not taking action against the corrupt motives of medical practitioners and nursing homes? Doctors themselves have tarnished their own respectful profession by being so exploitative. Our leaders must speak up, at least for the sake of the weaker section of the population.
Thank you Gewali, for your bold letter. And shame on exploitative doctors!
Yours etc.,
Robert Lyngdoh,
Via email
Stop teacher bashing please!
Editor,
When will teacher bashing, bullying and exploitation, and now holding them to ransom by the government give way to a more mature and studied approach towards the teaching community? I shake my head in wonderment that the right hand of the government office doesn’t know what the left hand is doing as seen in the front page headlines of The Shillong Times, ‘EJH teachers slam govt’s threat to delay salaries’ (ST July 10, 2023).
Going by the report the politicians and government servants are acting independently of one another! Does the DC have the mandated authority to impose an order that not just infringes on personal freedom, but also exposes them to cyber fraud? Certainly a vehement NOT! His insistence that teachers abide with the Attendance App by a private provider is nefarious and fishy! (Oh, I immediately jump to conclusions! I see green! Piles of them!). If the app is solely to monitor teachers’ attendance, then there are other gadgets in use in many other working centres and even in some schools at the main gate through biometrics. (Normally by left thumb impression).
Instead of trying to bulldoze his way on the matter and pulling rank, the DC should address all the issues raised by JAC of school teachers with a thorough knowledge befitting a seasoned civil servant!
I marvel at the novel suggestion of Aristotle Rymbai, MSSASA to provide mobile handsets to all teachers who will then willingly comply with the order of Attendance App. This suggestion has check-mated the government!
Yours etc.,
Kevin Phillips
Shillong – 19
Population not the problem
Editor,
One of the most common excuses touted by Prime Ministers and Chief Ministers for the dismal economic performance of India is that there is an overpopulation problem. For example, overpopulation is alleged to be the root cause of food shortages and pollution. Even superficial inquiry reveals the lack of foundation for such pessimistic claims.
The population of India and China are almost the same, yet China’s GDP per capita of $USD 12,556 towers above India’s GDP per capita of $USD 2,256. Not only is China a richer country despite having a similar population size; it also has an effective food distribution system. Moreover, China has fewer polluted cities. According to Eco Experts, six of the ten most polluted cities in the world are in India and the remaining four in Argentina, Pakistan and Russia. Notably, none of the top ten most polluted cities are in China. In fact, the opposite is true: people, particularly skilled people,are a country’s greatest asset. This is shown by Professor Julian Simon in his book The Ultimate Resource 2. Governments are good at distracting attention from their failures and placing the blame on anyone or anything except themselves. The biggest failure of Indian governments – whether central or state – has been their unwillingness to permit India to become an advanced developed nation along the lines of Singapore, Hong Kong or South Korea.
Yours etc.,
Sukrit Sabhlok
New South Wales, Australia