Letters to the Editor

Harsh reality

The demise of ex-CM Tarun Gogoi has left a big void in the political spectrum of Assam. He was one of the most astute leaders Assam has ever produced. His stint as cabinet minister in Lt. Indira Gandhi's government to being the longest serving Chief Minister of the State says it all about his dynamism. His took the reign as the Chief Minister in 2001 when the State was already plunged in darkness and economic starvation and till 2011 his governance was unflinching. He stood by pro Asomiya stance and his evergreen one line 'who is Badruddin' still reverberates in the minds of every Asomiya. Post his son's entry into politics, deviation from the original stance was observed. The black blot in his cherished career was forming an unholy alliance with Badruddin Ajmal, whom he challenged in open forum much to the delight of proud Asomiyas.

There are some of the leaders like Bharat Ratna Gopinath Bordoloi, Lt. Bishnuram Medhi, Lt. Sarat Singha, Lt. Bimala Prasad Chaliha whom we fondly recall because they had never compromised with their ideology throughout their life whatever may be the circumstances. We all know how Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi's timely response saved Assam from being part of East Pakistan when the then Prime Minister Pandit Nehru was just a mute spectator.

Dr. Ashim Chowdhury,

Guwahati

Price of democracy

Democracy is best defined by Abraham Lincoln as government by the people, of the people, for the people. In simple terms it's the best system of governance where decision of common masses holds the fort. But here in our country sometimes we as common people feel India is paying heavy price for being a democratic country. Very often at the drop of cup a few selfish leaders hijack the country to meet their political goals. Their habit of changing the goal post according to their will has harmed its citizens and the nation as a whole. Last year's anti-CAA agitations and presently the anti-farm bills protests are striking the financial domain hard. Coming to State scenario, already a few over-aged student leaders are gearing themselves to restart the anti-CAA movement thereby paralysing every sector be it trade, commerce, education, etc. The findings of the Delhi riots have revealed the foreign hand and foreign funds. Who knows who is sponsoring the anti-CAA agitations in Assam.

Aparna Sarma Chowdhury,

Guwahati.

Water scarcity: A major problem for people in India

Water is the basic necessity of every human being. But, water scarcity is a major issue that is rising very rapidly in modern-day India. The problem has become so severe that in many States the groundwater has almost dried up and people have to depend on water supply from other sources. In addition, water is one of the most misused commodities that we still waste. It is the central point of our lives but not the central point of our focus.

In the past, people understand the value of water and plan their lives around it. Moreover, many civilizations bloom and lost on account of water. But, today we have knowledge but we still fail to understand the value of water.

Reason for water scarcity in India:

Water scarcity is the cause of mismanagement and excess population growth of the water resources. Also, it is a man-made issue that continues to rise. Besides, some of the reasons for water scarcity are:

Wasteful use of water for Agriculture - India is one of the major food growers in the world. That produces tonnes of quantity of food to feed its population and export the surplus that is left.

In addition, producing this much food requires a lot of water too. The traditional method of irrigation wastes a lot of water due to evaporation, water conveyance, drainage, percolation, and the overuse of groundwater. Besides, most of the areas in India use traditional irrigation techniques that stress the availability of water.

But, the solution to this problem lies in the extensive irrigation techniques such as micro-irrigation in which we provide water to plants and crops using a sprinkler or drip irrigation.

Reduction in water recharge systems- Due to rapid construction that uses concrete and marbles do not let the rainwater to get absorbed in the soil. But, if we install some mechanism in our houses that can hold the rainwater then we can recharge the groundwater.

Lack of water management and distribution - There is a need for an efficient system that can manage and distribute the water in urban areas. Also, the government needs to enhance its technology and investment in water treatment. Besides, we should ensure optimization at the planning level.

Solutions to overcome this problem:

Water-free urinal - Urinal waste around 6 litres of water per flush that add up to 25 thousand litres per year. If a male member of the house stops using the flush then they can save lots of water.

Close the running tap - During dish washing and hand washing people often let the tap running. These running taps waste thousands of litres of water per year. Besides, closing the tap will reduce this problem.

Replace dripping taps - In India it is commonly seen that most of the houses have one or two taps that drop water even when they are close. This running tap wastes up to 30,000 litres of water that nobody bothers to change. So, we should replace these taps immediately.

To conclude, water scarcity has become a more dangerous problem day by day. Also, due to our leniency that we haven't taken the problem water scarcity seriously. But, now the authorities and people are working to resolve this problem so that our future generations do not have to buy this necessity.

Manish Kashyap,

(s225012b.manish681@kvsroguwahati.in)

Boosting employment

The Union government has approved an Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY) to boost employment in the formal sector and incentivize the creation of new employment opportunities during the COVID recovery phase under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Package 3.0. A provision of Rs. 1,584 crore for the current financial year and Rs. 22, 810 crore for the entire scheme period 2020-2023 crore budget has been made for this scheme. This is a praiseworthy move towards providing job opportunities and self-reliant India.

Amit Singh Kushwaha,

Satna (M.P.)

Hidden agenda

The ongoing strike of farmers is growing stronger and stronger with each passing day, with more and more farmers joining the stir. The Centre was apparently not prepared for this. The farm laws were passed without taking the farmers into confidence. The farmers had not made any demand for such laws. What prompted the government to go for such laws so hurriedly, and that too when the country was in the severe grip of COVID-19? It smacks of some hidden vested forces behind the move to legislate these laws. Tensions are high on our borders. The store of the farmers should not linger on. It is for the government to show flexibility and shed arrogance.

Chandan Kumar Nath,

Sorbhog.

Another MiG-29K crashed

Recently on 26th November, 2020, an Indian Navy MiG-29K twin-seater trainer aircraft crashed into the Arabian Sea after taking off from INS Vikramaditya. One of the two pilots on board had been rescued immediately after the crash and intensive search and rescue operation was initiated to locate the missing commander Nishant Singh. Unfortunately, 11 days after the crash, Indian Navy has located the body and recovered the mortal remains of Nishant Singh 70 metres under water of Arabian Sea.

The fact is, this is not a single crash incident of the Russian fighter aircraft MiG-29K, a Naval variant of MiG-29 aircraft. Since November last year, three MiG-29K fighter aircraft have been involved in crash in India. On 23rd February this year, a MiG-29K crashed over Goa after being hit by birds and fortunately the pilots managed to eject safely. On 16th November last year, an MiG-29K trainer aircraft crashed in south Goa after both engines failed. Problems in MiG-29K were seen even in Russia. In 2016, a Russian Navy's MiG-29K aircraft crashed into the Mediterranean Sea due to mechanical difficulties that appeared just after the take-off.

Although MiG-29K entered service with Indian Navy in 2010, since then many flaws of the aircraft have been reported. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in its 2016 report raised concern over the crashes of MiG-29K saying the aircraft is "riddled with problems relating to air frame, RD MK-33 engine and fly-by-wire system". According to many defense experts, F-18 Super Hornet and Rafale-M are far better options for Indian Navy, but Indian Government is looking for Russian MiG-29K probably because of its low cost. Now, it is the time to think whether we will continue to buy the low cost unreliable MiG-29K risking the lives of our fighter pilots or opt for other superior fighter aircrafts.

Phanindra Barman,

Nalbari.