Editor
Through your esteemed daily, I would like to share my deep concern and disappointment felt by students and parents across the country over the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 due to allegations of a paper leak. More than 22 lakh students appeared for this examination after months and years of hard work, sacrifice, and mental stress. Many students studied day and night with the dream of becoming doctors. Parents spent huge amounts of money on coaching, hostel fees, books, and travel. Some families even borrowed money or used their savings to support their children’s education. Today, all those efforts seem to have been shaken because of the system’s failure to conduct a fair examination.
What is most painful is that honest students are suffering for no fault of theirs. While a few people may have tried to misuse the system for money and unfair advantage, lakhs of sincere students are now forced to face uncertainty, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion once again. Reconducting the examination may be necessary, but it cannot remove the stress and disappointment caused to students and their families. This incident also raises serious questions about the growing commercialisation of competitive education.
In many coaching centres across the country, success has become more important than values and integrity. Education should build character and confidence, not fear and corruption. The government and the National Testing Agency must take strict action against everyone involved in this racket. Merely arresting a few middlemen will not restore public confidence. There is an urgent need to strengthen the examination system and ensure transparency and accountability at every stage.
If students begin to lose faith in the fairness of examinations, it will have a dangerous impact on the future of our education system. Honest hard work must never feel helpless before corruption.
Yours etc.,
Jairaj,
Via email
Growing Noise Pollution in Police Bazar
Editor,
Through your esteemed newspaper, I wish to highlight the growing issue of noise pollution in PB, Shillong. PB is one of the busiest commercial areas in the city, where people come not only for shopping and daily work, but also to spend time peacefully with family and friends. Unfortunately, the increasing use of loudspeakers, music systems, amplified singing, and public preaching at very high volumes has become a major source of discomfort for many citizens.
While we understand every individual has the right to express themselves and earn a livelihood, the excessive sound levels in crowded public areas often create stress, disturbance, and mental fatigue for shoppers, workers, students, and the elderly. In particular, there are instances where visually challenged individuals ( who should be provided better livelihood opportunities and support ) or groups use amplified music and microphones at very loud decibels for long periods. Though one can also understand the challenges they face in earning a living, the current situation affects the public’s peace and overall environment in the area.
Rather than allowing unregulated noise in public spaces, the authorities should consider creating a proper and dignified alternative. A designated open busking platform or a performance zone could be established where talented individuals, including differently-abled persons, can perform under regulated sound limits and during specific hours or occasions. This would not only preserve public peace but also provide performers with a more respectful and organized space to showcase their talents and earn an income with dignity.
Shillong has always been known for its culture and music, however maintaining a balance between compassion and public comfort is essential. I hope the concerned authorities will take necessary steps to address this issue responsibly and thoughtfully.
Yours etc.,
Sam Nongrum
Via email
Laitumkhrah’s decline- more than meets the eye?
Editor,
Apropos the letter “Erosion of Laitumkhrah’s Identity” dated 12 May 2026, we wish to remind readers that the decline of Laitumkhrah’s glory runs deeper than many may realize.
As some whose parents were born and raised in Laitumkhrah, with great‑grandparents among the early settlers near the Umkhrah river, we recall how the term “ki nong Laitumkhrah” was coined to identify us. The establishment of major educational institutions in the area, following the Catholic Mission’s seat at Lum Tyngkong procured by the Salvatorians from the Syiem of Hima Mylliem for a mere Rs 5,000 transformed Laitumkhrah into a hub for settlers and students from across the Northeast.
By the 1990s, Laitumkhrah had become cosmopolitan, with students renting rooms and a handful of commercial establishments serving residents who still relied on the famous Iew Shillong market. Iconic eateries such as Silver Bowl, Norling, Three Star, Bombay Restaurant, Jalpaan, and Kalpana defined the food culture of the time. As memory reminds, illegal liquor was available too, until a people’s movement led to the closure of Richie Restaurant and a Dorbar decision banning liquor sales in Laitumkhrah.
Though a few wine stores and bars were later permitted by the dorbar in the name of employment generation, public objection grew especially from the members of the seng longkmie of those days. In September 2017, the Dorbar Shnong attended by a large number of residents unanimously resolved to stop issuing NOCs for new bars and wine stores, sealing the fate of pending applicants then. Yet between 2021–22, internal dispute surfaced among Rangbah Shnongs and the formation of a seng samla without consensus fuelled allegations of misappropriation and mismanagement. The Syiem of Hima Mylliem revoked the sanad of two leaders and controversially appointed the third as caretaker. It may be remembered that Laitumkhrah elects 3 Rangbah Shnongs and as per convention, the one who stands first becomes the Chairman, and the second takes up the treasurer’s post in the executive committee that also comprises Rangbah Dongs.
In September 2022, elections brought in two new Rangbah Shnongs alongside the caretaker. Unfortunately, the latter exploited his position, dictating terms, issuing bar licences, tolerating illegal liquor sales, and allegedly profiting from land deals and NOCs to non‑tribals. His manipulative tactics mobilizing seng samla and seng longkmie to defame diligent predecessors degraded Laitumkhrah’s image further. Though he has since lost his position in the recent dorbar held on 9 May 2026, the damage lingers.
Today, many responsible citizens have stopped attending Dorbar Shnong meetings, disillusioned by its drift from its welfare purpose to profiting only from a few vested minds. To restore Laitumkhrah’s glory, politics must be separated from the Dorbar. Those aligned with political parties should not hold office as either Rangbah Shnong or Rangbah Dong, as mandated under the Mylliem Act, 2007. The seng samla and seng longkmie should have members who have integrity and compassion to take up welfare issues of the shnong and not only represent a political front or politician.
Laitumkhrah deserves leadership rooted in service, not self‑interest. Only then can its identity and dignity be reclaimed.
Yours etc.,
A Kharkongor &
F Lyngkhoi,
Via email
