Nobody’s child
The Kath Godown area under the Shillong Cantonment Board, sandwiched between Mawbah and Jhalupara localities has always been a den of illicit liquor and drugs trade. From morning till night, drug suppliers and users frequent this area for their daily sale and purchase, respectively.
It hardly matters to them that the Jhalupara police outpost is located within earshot. The situation turns quite severe as day gives way to night. Vehicles of all shapes and brand descend into this congested area for their daily quota.
Residents of the two localities around this place have cried hoarse for years but there is no end to this menace.
An eviction drive was carried out in July last year to remove illegal settlers, some of whom are said to be Bangladeshis, given their language and accent. However, the real reason behind the eviction drive is said to be an anti-drugs campaign.
One year down the line, hardly anything has changed on the ground. Petty crimes and theft cases are being reported on a daily basis but authorities have all but given up on this area.
“Is this area nobody’s child?” ask locals in the area.
The Police department and the Anti Narcotics Task Force has been making drug seizures on a regular basis but this seems to have had little to no effect on the supply chain. Contrabands are easily available in this area, provided you have money in your pockets and you know who to approach. The SJ team writes this piece with the hope that it will reach the right ears.
It pours in the dark
The water level at Umiam dipped drastically and slowly word spread that there would be rigorous power cuts. Then came the load-shedding days; around 6-8 hours of no power supply daily and people grumbled but carried on.
On June 7, the water level at Umiam was very low (perhaps the lowest this season) — 3162.26 feet.
Monsoon was late and it had become clear to all that rain had become the only hope for people to get respite from long hours of load-shedding. And finally! It started raining. It still is pouring. But load-shedding continues to trouble people.
To them, it was simple — rainfall meant no more load-shedding or perhaps a decrease in the number of hours. But those in charge seem to have other plans or maybe it isn’t as simple at all. However, portraying dearth of rains as the root cause behind load-shedding and when it really did rain, not getting rid of it would confuse anyone.
Also, power supply is not cut sometimes. It has made the city question the logic behind this phenomenon. What factors decide when to and when not to cut power supply?
According to data from Indian Meteorological Department, the normal rainfall for East Khasi Hills is 40.9 mm, but the actual rainfall is 114.3 mm, which translates to 179% more rainfall than usual. Also, the water level at Umiam has reached 3197.47 feet as on Sunday (8 pm).
Once it hits 3220 feet, water has to be released from the dam. So here’s the relevant question: When will load-shedding be lifted?
