Letters to the EDITOR: Farming in state’s flood-prone areas
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Farming in state’s flood-prone areas
Annual floods in Assam cause extensive damage to standing crops in vast stretches of paddy fields, which causes substantial losses not only to farm households but also to the state's agricultural economy. Your editorial titled 'Substantial farming in Assam's flood-prone areas' published in your esteemed daily on May 31 has rightly highlighted that embankments provide only 52 percent protection, but unfortunately, paddy fields in 46 percent flood-prone areas are left unprotected, and they get submerged when breaches occur due to a lack of required maintenance. While strengthening embankments that are vulnerable to breaches is the need of the hour, the use of submergence-tolerant new rice varieties has brought fresh hopes of resilience for farmers. The availability of seeds of such varieties at an affordable cost is a crucial factor, and making flood-resistant varieties readily available in flood-ravaged areas is a big challenge for the state government. What is urgently needed is educating the state's farmers on the new flood-resistant varieties, coupled with the technical know-how of farmers, in order to overcome the erratic pattern of weather conditions. The collectivization of producers, especially small and marginal farmers, into producer organizations has emerged as one of the most effective pathways to address the many challenges of agriculture, but most importantly, it has improved access to investments, technology, inputs, and markets. 'Atmanirbharata in Krishi' will definitely enable farmers to achieve global outreach, thus establishing an Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Iqbal Saikia,
Guwahati
Solid waste treatment plant wanted
A recent news report reveals that the GMC workers are regularly transporting garbage first to a dumping point on the Basistha riverbank at Bhetapara. Instead of transporting garbage from collection sites directly to the landfill at Belortol, the Bhetapara dumping ground is being used as a transfer station. The stinking garbage has infected the air in the surroundings, which the residents, shop owners, and passersby are complaining of. Presently, use of transfer stations is restricted to the big metros only: Madras, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad. Most other cities have set up treatment plants, and garbage is being transported daily directly to the plants for composting.
Guwahati has been rated as the second-most polluted city in the world as per the 2023 international air quality report, issued by an organisation called IQAir. The annual air pollution level in Guwahati has touched a red mark of 105'4 per cubic metre, which is 20 times the world's recommended level in terms of particulate matter (PM). The situation is very grave, as in addition to open burning waste, construction activities, vehicular pollution, and untreated garbage have posed a grim picture for the city. It is high time the city elders took up a comprehensive plan to convert hazardous municipal waste into concrete waste management by producing compost, bio-fuel, etc., utilizing the modern scientific approach.
Pannalal Dey
Guwahati
Guwahati Central Jail
Of late, Guwahati Central Jail’s affairs have been very much in the news. Both electronic and print media are doing their jobs by highlighting the flaws and shortcomings of the jail administration. However, it is incumbent on the part of the media to project a balanced picture without tarnishing the image of the person(s) who always strive to improve the functioning of the jail with limited resources at their disposal. Bias reporting in the media demoralizes the people at the helm of affairs. Obviously, there is scope for improvement in any system under the sun. Guwahati Central Jail is also not an exception.
Here, I would like to bring some facts to the fore for public consumption, which I gathered from my advocate friends. The present jail superintendent joined the Guwahati Central Jail around six months ago. We know for sure that he initiated the following measures immediately after joining the new assignment: (1) Tightening the security in and around the jail campus; (2) The supply of cooked food items from outside has been totally stopped. Mineral water bottles are available in the jail canteen. Jail inmates can purchase bottles for their own use. Therefore, finding water bottles with them can’t be an offense. (3) Construction of a mini water supply project has been taken up within the jail campus and is likely to be commissioned very soon. Hopefully, that would mitigate the water crisis in the jail. (4) With the combined efforts of jail officials and staff, five mobile phones were recovered from jail inmates around five months back. The recent recovery of four mobiles has also been the result of relentless efforts by jail staff.
At the same time, we, as outsiders, can also suggest some remedial measures to be taken to improve the functioning of jail administration. It is important to understand that the security in the jail is manned by unprofessional guards. If that is so, they have to be replaced by trained and experienced security forces. Truck loads of food items go inside the jail on a regular basis. Therefore, proper security checks are required. Mobiles, drugs, and other unwanted items can easily be smuggled into the jail through the trucks. Only professional security forces can nab the culprits. Mobile jammers can be installed within the jail with the permission of the competent authority. And that would make the use of mobile phones redundant. In the end, I want to add a few things too. Jailed AAP Member of Parliament Sanjay Singh, who was released from Tihar jail on bail, had given a rosy picture of Tihar jail and suggested, while delivering a lecture in a political rally, not to fear going to jail. He stated that all the comforts of life are available in Tihar Jail. My point is, if Tihar can do it, why should Guwahati Jail lag behind?
Dr. Pankaj Baruah
Guwahati
Tobacco control measures in NE
Through your esteemed daily columns, I am writing to express my concern about the alarming rise in tobacco use in the northeastern region of India and its devastating impact on public health and government revenue. The seizure of large quantities of illicit cigarette sticks smuggled across the India-Myanmar border is a clear indication of the growing tobacco consumption in the region. Industry estimates suggest that illicit cigarettes make up 30% of India's tobacco market, causing substantial revenue losses to the government while increasing the risk of cancer among the population. Despite India's ratification of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2004 and the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products in 2018, the northeastern states, particularly Assam, Tripura, and Manipur, have seen a rise in tobacco use. Disturbingly, minor children in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Sikkim are starting to use tobacco before they are 16 years old. The current awareness campaigns appear to be ineffective, as evidenced by the increasing number of school and college students smoking in public places. The National Tobacco Control Programme must be strengthened with a dual focus on awareness and strict enforcement. Parents and teachers play a crucial role in guiding adolescents and youth to resist peer pressure and avoid tobacco use. Additionally, the enforcement of existing laws prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to minors and smoking in public places must be rigorously implemented.The sale of loose cigarettes, which circumvents mandatory pictorial warnings, should be banned as recommended by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare. Such measures, if effectively enforced, can significantly reduce smoking initiation among minors. It is imperative that the northeastern states take the lead in implementing these recommendations and developing a robust enforcement mechanism. Only through a combined effort of increased awareness and stringent enforcement can we hope to mitigate the rising cancer burden and other health issues associated with tobacco use in the region.
Sabina Ahmed
Dibrugarh University