Editor,
I write to you today to express my views not merely as a concerned citizen, but as a witness to a quiet, suffocating tragedy. We often speak of the Shillong-Tamabil road in the sterile language of “connectivity” and “bilateral trade,” but on the slopes opposite to the villages of Darrang, Shnongpdeng and Amkoi, the reality is much darker. It is the story of an ancestral legacy being buried alive under the very earth that once gave it life.
For generations, these hillsides have been a vibrant sea of green—the towering betel nut trees and lush vines are the lifeblood of our people. To a farmer in this region, a betel nut grove is not just “agriculture.” It is a living bank account; it is a fund for a daughter’s wedding, the hope for a son’s higher education and the security for an elderly parent’s medical care and so on. These trees are raised with the patience of decades, treated and cared for like family members rather than crops.
Today, that green is being choked out by a relentless, suffocating brown. As heavy machinery carves through our mountains for the NH-40 expansion, the “progress” we see is a man-made avalanche. Instead of responsible waste management, massive amounts of construction debris are being pushed off the cliffs, cascading down onto the private lands below.
I recently spoke with a local elder who watched, his eyes welling with silent tears, as thirty years of his life’s work disappeared in a single afternoon under several feet of rock and excavated soil lie the trees he planted as a young man. He didn’t just lose his income; he lost his history. These are not “unoccupied slopes” as the blueprints might suggest; they are the sacred, ancestral gardens of a community that has lived in harmony with this terrain for so many years.
The irony is as bitter as it is painful. We are told this multi-crore highway will “uplift” the border economy, yet it is systematically dismantling the two pillars that truly sustain our people: the Kwai cultivation and the once-pristine Umngot River. Our river, formerly a mirror of crystal clarity, now runs thick and turgid with the silt of our own “advancement.”
The NHIDCL may view this as “collateral damage,” a mere line item in a project report. But for the families of these regions, it is a loss of identity and survival. A fine paid by a Corporation to the Pollution Control Board cannot replant a thirty-year-old tree, nor can it restore the dignity of a farmer who must now wonder how he will feed his family.
Through your esteemed columns, I urge the authorities concerned to look beyond the blueprints and see the people. We need an immediate halt to the illegal dumping of debris and a fair, transparent compensation mechanism for the farmers whose livelihoods now lie buried under the rubble of “development.”
True progress and development should uplift our community up and not bury them beneath the rubble of a road that treats their home like a wasteland.
Yours etc
Chanmiki Lamin
Via email
Digital Arrest and the Rising Menace of Cyber Fraud
Editor,
I wish to draw the attention of readers to a disturbing report published recently in the paper Aaj Tak regarding a case of so-called digital arrest in Delhi, in which an NRI doctor couple was cheated of nearly Rs 15 crore. The woman was kept under intense psychological pressure for several days by cyber criminals posing as police and investigating officials. I believe this news is extremely important, as it creates awareness and helps citizens protect themselves from the growing threat of digital fraud.
This incident clearly shows that cyber crime today is not merely a technical issue but a psychological one. The fraudsters succeed not because people are careless, but because fear, authority, and urgency are carefully manufactured. Fake legal documents, threats of arrest, and warnings about family safety leave victims with little time or mental space to think rationally.
What is especially worrying is that such crimes continue despite repeated advisories from the government, banks, and telecom companies. This suggests that public awareness needs to move beyond routine warnings and focus more on helping people recognise the common patterns of such frauds–unexpected calls, demands for secrecy, pressure for immediate action, and requests for money or OTPs.
It must be clearly understood that no police officer, court, or government agency arrests anyone over phone or video calls, nor do they seek financial transactions for verification. This simple fact, if widely internalised, can prevent immense financial and emotional loss.
I urge the authorities to strengthen people–centric awareness programmes, particularly for senior citizens and NRIs, while ensuring swift and decisive action against cyber fraud networks. I also appeal to readers to pause, consult family members, and verify facts before responding to any alarming calls.
In the digital age, awareness is not optional—it is essential for our safety.
Yours etc.,
Jairaj,
Via email
