Letters to the EDITOR: Stewardship of Jorhat Municipality Board

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Stewardship of Jorhat Municipality Board

Living in the heart of Jorhat town is indeed uplifting, but for me and my family's experience, it turned critically sour after suffering sheer nuisance for a long spell of more than 10 years. The placement of the municipal dustbin over a small vacant space beautifully surrounded by trees just in front of my residence caused a hell of a mess with an abominable stench all around while the people of the adjacent locality, as well as different pedestrians, bikers, and motorists, most unmindfully and carelessly tossed the garbage of every conceivable nature.

Our peaceful living was further aggravated when our close-door neighbour started to rear a couple of Jersey cows in his own residence, not caring a hoot about the ambience, which was polluted with the overpowering stench of urinary products mixed with cow dung. Apart from that, scores of mosquitoes, flies, fleas, etc. used to afflict us with different diseases. My ailing old mother and my small child had to face the brunt of odd smells, itching, skin infections, and sometimes even vomiting.

The matter was brought to the notice of the municipal authority for immediate remedial measures, and after several notices from the authority to the wrongdoer, nothing happened, and the then executive officer of the JMB confided in me a cutting-back figure with an inability to take action following a phone call from Dispur on the day of hearing of the case.

However, the JMB, presently steered by a well-meaning chairperson, began to transform rapidly, and very recently she initiated firm action, personally supervising the shifting of the dustbin to another place, which is convenient for all the people for garbage disposal and regular on-time clearances by municipal trucks. At long last, we got to heave a big sigh of relief, having been the worst sufferer for so long, and now we get  to enjoy the fresh morning air through the front windows that we kept locked for years.

We are very thankful to the Chairperson for her grit and determination to deal with the problems of the residents, and we hope that with the active support of the hugely transformed state State Government a new work culture and positive approach will begin to take firm root.

Tanuj Goswami,

Jorhat

Unsafe foot paths of the smart city!

Through this column, we want to draw the kind attention of GMC and GMDA to the following: Let us consider the treacherous stretch(s) of footpath from Down Town Hospital to Six Mile, leaving aside the other parts of the smart city, Guwahati. To put the matter in perspective, it can be said that the quality of the construction of footpaths is the first causality in the city. One, footpath slabs are not of uniform dimensions. Consequently, the footpath as a whole is not on the same plane, and uneven slabs make the footpath hazardous. Two, the quality of the construction is poor, and as such, slabs give in easily due to the movement of pedestrians. Thus, one can witness many broken slabs along the stretch at different points in time. Such footpaths also stand as a death knell for poor pedestrians. Here, a question does arise: are the engineers and supervisors of GMC/GMDA incompetent even to construct a small stretch of footpath? It is sad and reprehensible too, when the development of engineering and technology is at its peak. Our engineers can’t do small construction efficiently. Such flaws in construction do occur due to overdependence on the contractors and subcontractors. For better-quality output, close supervision is a must.

In addition to the above, foot paths are being used as parking spaces for scooters and bikes. Even cars are being parked. This has become the norm in the city. Who has given licence to them? Is there no rule of law in this city? How can pedestrians walk along if two bikes are parked parallelly in a 3.5-foot-wide path? Petty food vendors are another menace for pedestrians. Things are getting increasingly critical with every passing day for common people. At long last, I want to pose a question to GMC: We know for sure what we are getting. But what additional benefits and facilities are the common people of the city going to get after paying more than 35% property tax this year with respect to previous years?

Prafulla Dowarah,

Guwahati

BCCI behaving like a big brother

Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer have not been included in the central contract list of BCCI as they did not comply with the instructions of the parent body. They simply ignored the instructions and did not play for their teams in the Ranji Trophy. We believe nobody is above the game, and definitely they are liable to face the consequences for their disobedience. It is very sad that many of the established players do not want to play in the Ranji Trophy as they want to concentrate only on the cash-rich IPL and make big money with minimum efforts. We believe name and fame are more important than money. The players who get the opportunity to play at the highest level should not avoid playing in domestic tournaments unless and until their excuse is genuine. What do you think about the decision of the BCCI? Is it good for the game to teach lessons to those players who are not keen to play on the domestic circuit? The writing is on the wall. The big brother attitude of BCCI belied players getting their appointed place in the Central contract. The stepmotherly treatment of certain players is well and truly displayed in a poor way by the ‘Board of Cricketing Controversies in India’.

C.K Subramaniam

(cksumpire@gmail.com)

Prejudicial treatment

Prejudicial treatment of people on the basis of race and sex continues until the present. It is said that when a child is preoccupied with separating the crow from the sparrow, the little one cannot enjoy the beauty of a flying bird or decipher the melody of a singing bird. Obtuse institutionalisation and rabid state funding of discrimination make it a far bigger menace. Quite a few layers have to be broken to separate sanity from hate.  Intolerance is a cousin of prejudice, and no one is born with hate. He or she is  'taught' or 'programmed' to hate others on the basis of sex, colour, and religion. Therefore, he or she can be taught to love as well. To do that, everyone in society should feel safe and secure.

The endearing quality of inclusiveness is a precursor to sympathy and understanding. Zero discrimination may appear too far-fetched in the modern-day world. However, the United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) appears to believe otherwise. UNAIDS shaped "Zero Discrimination Day" on the first day of March. HIV and AIDS are rampant in nations that are ignorant and insensitive to the needs of women. Approximately forty million people are afflicted by HIV, which gives rise to full-blown AIDS. Needless to say, many of them are children and women, and the ‘zero discrimination day’ aims at connecting the missing link between AIDS and awareness.

Dr. Ganapathi Bhat

(gbhat13@gmail.com)