Editor,
I am writing to express my frustration and disappointment after experiencing first-hand how meaningless the so-called “Smart City” systems are for common people like us.
In the wee hours of May 24, 2025, at around 2:07 AM, my Honda Activa ML 05 AE 0842 was stolen from right outside my home in Lower Mawprem Main Road. I immediately filed an FIR at Lumdiengjri Police Station and began seeking help. What followed was not justice, but a juggling between authorities, each passing the responsibility to someone else.
The Investigating Officer told me that the newly installed Shillong Smart City blue-pole camera might have recorded something — but when I asked about it, I was told it’s under the control of the Dorbar Shnong. When I reached out to them, authorities said police are the only ones with access. No one gave a clear answer. Everyone just raised up their hands in helplessness.
This raises serious questions. If none of these Smart City cameras work, why are they powered 24/7? Why are they mounted on massive poles with blinking lights and large boxes, pretending to monitor the streets? Are these just showpieces? Just props for publicity?
What’s worse is the constant boasting of the government across digital billboards, proudly advertising “Smart City Progress,” “ICCC,” and “Intelligent Systems.” But when a citizen like me actually needs these systems, they are useless. No access. No functionality. No accountability.
Where is our tax money going? The system doesn’t work when a crime happens. The police say, “vehicles get smuggled to Bangladesh,” as though that should make me give up. If they know this is happening, why aren’t they stopping it? Why aren’t theft rings tracked down or broken? Why are citizens expected to simply give up and move on?
The system is designed in such a way that no one seems to know who holds the authority, who gives permission, or whose responsibility it is. It is so fragmented and hidden behind procedural layers that even a genuine victim is lost in it. Thieves know this — they know that a common student like me won’t be able to navigate this maze in time. By the time any clarity emerges, the answer will be the same: “It’s too late, the footage has been auto-deleted.”
Why does the government spend crores installing these camera systems and building an Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC), if at the time of real need, every authority claims, “the cameras are not working” or “we don’t have access”?
Let me be honest: I’ve lost all hope in this system. I’ve done everything I could — filed the FIR, found local CCTV footage myself, reached out to the police, even wrote to the SP. And what did I get in return? Silence, delay, and contradiction.
So here is my sincere advice to fellow citizens: If your vehicle is stolen, file the FIR to protect yourself, but don’t waste your energy chasing justice. Don’t run shop to shop for CCTV footage. Don’t beg authorities to act. Just do your job, pay your taxes — because while the government may do nothing for your loss, they will surely come after you if you miss paying them.
These Smart City systems are not built for us. They’re built to look good on paper and on screens. Not to protect the real people who work hard to pay for them.
While I have previously requested anonymity in my letters, this time I choose to publish my name. I wish to see, as a citizen, how far one may be targeted simply for publicly questioning utter lack of unaccountability in the system. I believe that if common citizens continue to remain silent or hidden, nothing will change.
Yours etc.,
Ekramul Haque,
Via email
The Chickens’ Necks of Bangladesh
Editor,
Assam Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma presented an interesting geographical fact about two Chicken’s Neck in Bangladesh, the 80 Km North Bangladesh Corridor and the 28 Km Chittagong Corridor on his Twitter handle on May 25, 2025, stating that he is only “presenting geographical facts that some may tend to forget.”
If the former corridor spanning from Dakshin Dinajpur (West Bengal, India) to South west Garo Hills (Meghalaya, India) is snapped it would have a significant implication for Bangladesh, especially for Rangpur Division and northern districts which have a population of 17.9 million of that country’s administrative divisions, covering an area of 16,709.5 Sq. Km. Northern Bangladesh, particularly Rangpur Division, could find itself isolated from the rest of the country, affecting transport and connectivity. The region depends on trade and movement through India. A separation could increase logistical challenges and disrupt agricultural and industrial supply chains.
Bangladesh’s security and international relations with India would be directly impacted by such an event, leading to potential diplomatic negotiations or tensions. A sudden geopolitical shift could lead to population displacement, economic shifts and access issues for essential services.
If the latter corridor which connects South Tripura (India) to the Bay of Bengal were disrupted, it would have serious consequences for Dhaka and Bangladesh. The Chittagong Corridor is a vital link between Bangladesh’s economic capital (Chittagong) and its political capital (Dhaka). If severed, Dhaka would lose direct access to Chittagong Port, which handles over 90 percent of Bangladesh’s external trade. The logistical challenges for the northwestern part of Chittagong Division (including Brahmanbaria, Comilla, Chandpur, Lakshmipur, Noakhali and Feni) would be cut off from southwestern part (which includes Chittagong, Khagracharia, Rangmati, Bandarban and Cox’s Bazar).
The strategic vulnerability is that Bangladesh would face severe difficulties in military and administrative coordination, as the corridor is a key transport and supply route. Given the recent rhetoric of Muhammad Yunus around Bangladesh’s strategic position, any disruption to this corridor could escalate tension with India. This corridor is often compared to India’s Siliguri Corridor (Chicken’s Neck) which is even narrower, making it more vulnerable to that country. These two scenarios are purely hypothetical, but it is an interesting consideration regarding how borders shape nations, economies and daily lives.
Yours etc;
VK Lyngdoh,
Via email
Power woes in a power surplus state
Editor,
I would through your paper voice the disappointment we have with the power supply in our area. While we cannot speak about other localities of Shillong, but in the semi urban locality we live, in Sharing Lum, near Mawblei Petrol pump, we are facing daily power cuts. This is not confined to our area alone but the entire Laitkor, Mawlyngngad, and other adjoining villages which get their power through the main Station at Mawlyndep face the same problem.
These are not just the one or two hour outages, which are commonplace, but the power cuts last for as long as 10-12 hours. Consumers have little recourse except to call the complaints number, which oftentimes is off the hook, and when we do get through, the stock reply given is, “Duh ka main line” (fault in the main line).This usually means 10-12 hours of power suspension.
Workshops, construction workers, woodworking and steel fabrication units, home construction all come to a grinding halt. This “Duh ka main line,” problem is very frequent. It happens twice or thrice a week, which begs the question as to how this problem is allowed to persist for so long..
One does wish that there is a system in place where the Institution/Corporation responsible for the power supply compensates the consumer if the power cut is for an extended duration. While we are proud that the State is a “Power Surplus State,” we’ll feel even better if uninterrupted power supply is assured to all the needy consumers.
Yours etc.,
R.I.Donn,
Shillong -21