Letters to the Editor: Farmers need compensation

It is a matter of great concern that around 1,07,370 hectares of agricultural fields of Assam have been destroyed totally by the recent floods. According to the media report, 5,137 villages of 127 revenue circles of the State have come under the recent floods. Due to heavy rainfall and fierce flood, the farmers have lost all of their crops, leaving them absolutely empty handed. Most of them are fully depended on agriculture, but the fierce flood washed away their hopes and destroyed their main source of earning. Therefore, the district administration of the flood-affected districts should look into the matter seriously, conduct a survey on damaged crops and send a report to the State government recommending compensation to farmers. If the government begins an assessment of the damages of farmers and takes early necessary steps to pay compensation for their losses, it would surely be a great relief for the thousands of flood-affected farmers of Assam.

Rupak G Duarah,

Rajahnagar, Guwahati.

Honour our heroes

It was leading lights like Bishnu Prasad Rabha who helped cast a beautiful halo around the entire Assamese community. Tezpur is specially blessed as legends like Bishnu Rabha created magic here. The soil of Tezpur glistens with the gold that legends like Bishnu Rabha, Jyoti Prasad Agarwala and Phani Sharma had long sown with their works. But have we done enough to thank these luminaries? Bishnu Rabha's final resting place in Gereki was in a sorrowful condition for 36 long years, but some sentient folks from Tezpur wrote many letters to newspapers asking to accord rightful respect to the great artiste and, at last, Rabha's family succumbed to the societal pressure and in 2005 built a park and a memorial which soon became a frequently visited site as it overlooks the Brahmaputra and is a quiet neighbourhood far away from the city hubbub. But of late, it is seen that the area is cleaned and painted only once in a year - that is, before 20th of June as it marks the death anniversary of Bishnu Rabha. Now as Kalaguru's son represents Tezpur in the Assembly and since it has been more than a year of him getting elected, we can only hope that we will see Bishnu Rabha Udyan in a much better shape.

Noopur Baruah,

Tezpur.

Rude behaviour of bank official

I received a cheque book against my savings a/c in SBI, Six Mile Branch, by speed post on 9th March, 2022. As I did not apply for it and upon scrutiny found that my earlier cheque book was yet to be exhausted, I was surprised when on 21st April I received an SMS informing me that a cheque book had been despatched to me. I went to the SBI Branch and reported to the Service Manager, explaining that I had not applied for any cheque book. He noted it but did nothing as the cheque book reached my office two days later. I was almost perturbed when on 10th June I got a similar message and as the following two were bank holidays I visited the bank on 13th June and reported the matter before the Service Manager and also reminded him of the earlier incident.

Then the service manager replied as follows – You keep those excess books, there is no harm, or you can throw them or even burn them. His statement was irritating both in tune and tenor. Although I was shocked to hear such a remark from a bank official, I thought it unwise to engage myself in argument with him. And I silently came out. Now the question is –How could a bank official make such an irresponsible statement to a customer, that, too, a senior citizen like me? Will the SBI authority restrain such erring officials?

M N Ray,

Khanapara.

Agnipath

Recently the Central Government has come out with a scheme named Agnipath in order to enlist patriotic youths in the age group between 17 to 23 years in to our armed force to boost its strength. Proper military training will be provided for 4 years to those youths and they will be called Agniveer. After completing 4 years in service, these Agniveers can retire from service with full retirement benefits. This very scheme will no doubt give a boost to nation's security. Indian soldiers were and are never conscripted soldiers as recruitment of our Bravehearts are always voluntary, unlike many other countries.

Very alarmingly, there were some violent protests against this scheme immediately after Central Government's announcement in various parts of the nation. The rioters and hate-mongers are destroying public properties. I, as a patriotic Indian, shudder to think what would have happened to our motherland if these vandals, traitors indulging in vandalizing public properties are recruited in to our armed force, which is one of the best in the world. The intensity of violence and its timing simply cannot rule out the unseen hands of the anti-India lobby as it happened in the case of the last farmers' agitation.

Let us all identify this group once and for all and bury them.

Lanu Dutt Chowdhury,

Guwahati.