Editor,
Shillongites are reeling under the unusual spring heat. But what is more disconcerting is the unacceptable long hours of load shedding. As of now, it is as if there is complete power failure. The reason for this tragic situation is of course the decreasing level of water in Umiam Lake. With the utter failure of Leshka project, Meghalaya has to depend solely on the Umiam project for energy generation but with rain and the monsoons playing truant the situation of the dam is going from bad to worse. It is strange that a big lake like Umiam would have to depend on rainfall for its survival. Nowhere in the world does such a phenomenon occur. Lakes are usually fed by feeder rivers or by the melting snow from the mountains. In the case of Umiam the situation is pathetic because the two important feeder rivers, namely, Wah Umkhrah and Umshyrpi, are themselves in a terminal stage. These rivers are gradually turning into drains carrying the filth of the city.
If one studies the condition of Wahumkhrah from Demseiniong upto Jingkieng Mawlai, one will witness a merciless exploitation of the river by human beings. Trucks of soil have been dumped into the river course by greedy individuals who want to extend their settlement in to the river. Strangely there is no law to prevent such encroachments. This coupled with dumping of garbage is throttling the river’s life itself. Today we are reaping the fruits of our own greed and irresponsibility. God alone knows how many houses have come up along the banks of Wahumkhrah in these past few years. River land is being encroached and dumping of waste is on the increase. How can a river withstand such a merciless treatment? Consequently, the volume of water in these rivers has decreased dangerously. There is more filth than water that goes into the dam. I may seem unpatriotic but many would agree with me that if the British were to have continued their rule we would still see big and clean rivers, trees and plants on the river banks, fish in abundance and clean water for usage. The British would never have allowed such filthy settlements to come up along the river as we do now”. A few years back a certain Deputy Commissioner of Shillong tried to dismantle all illegal settlements along Wahumkhrah but his honest effort met with resistance from politicians and the matter was forsaken once and for all. Where are those NGOs who sometime ago pledged that they would undertake a cleaning drive of Wahumkhrah? Are they seriously concerned about this issue or are they taking the public for a ride? Today and generations to come will suffer because of mismanagement of our leaders and the greed of many of our citizens. Such irresponsible behaviours cause a chain reaction of unpleasant events which we are today experiencing.
Yours etc.,
B. Mawrie sdb,
Via email
How NEHU stresses students!
Editor,
I wrote my exams in December last year in NEHU. Now we are at the end of April 2014 and I’m still awaiting my results. What’s worse is that this particular exam I wrote was a repeat paper. Other universities and colleges outside the state always declare their end semester results within weeks of the final paper. Even if the same is delayed it would be delayed by ten to fifteen days at most. This trend of declaring results early happens in almost all Engineering Colleges in this country. Other Universities do the same with other undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Why can’t our NEHU do the same?
Sitting at home, anticipating one’s results and not being able to apply for any other course until one knows the outcome of the current paper is the most frustrating experience for a student. Some might dismiss me as a non-serious student, hence the repeat paper. But they don’t know what goes on in our Department. Being a Central University, NEHU has adequate staff, equipment and all other requirements to confer students with an Engineering Degree. But until last year we haven’t had a permanent teacher in this particular subject (I don’t know whether the one present now is a permanent faculty or a guest). Year after year a guest faculty would come to the Department to teach and that towards the end of classes. He/She will rush into the course and BOOM! Course is done. I wonder if this also happens in other Universities and Colleges.
If one goes to the Examination Block to enquire about the results the answer one gets is that the department in question has not submitted the required papers. And when we enquire from the Department the usual reply is that the Examination Block has yet to declare the results even though the papers have been sent eons ago. So I assume that either the papers got lost along the way in the ten minutes’ drive to and from our Department to the Examination Block or the efficiency of both departments is suspect.
What is most frustrating in this ordeal is that we have to wait almost 4-6 months to know our results and if we don’t make it then we have to wait for another six months to repeat the same exam. In other Engineering Colleges, results are declared within a month and if students have to repeat a paper, the same is set by the administration in the next two to three weeks’ time. But that isn’t the case in NEHU. But then again what do you expect from a University which makes news, not for academic achievements but for cases of maladministration.
And Oh! Did I mention that NEHU has An Engineering Department offering Bachelors and Masters degree in different Engineering fields?
Yours etc.,
Student in distress,
Name withheld on request