Letters to the Editor: Stop lecturing

The Noble laureate from Pakistan Malala Yousafzai has poked her nose into the ongoing hijab row in India. Recently, while speaking to media in Pakistan she said, "Refusing to let go to school in their hijabs is horrifying". We should make it clear to her that every school and even colleges in India has proper uniform and one should come to school in proper uniform irrespective of caste, creed, religion, gender or status. Secondly, why she is maintaining pin-drop silence when everyday Hindu girls are kidnapped and raped in Pakistan? Before coming to lecture on the condition of minorities in India, one should tell her in clear term that minorities are treated at par with the majority. In fact, in some areas the minorities are given special (VVIP) status. So, people like Malala who come from a terrorist-funded country like Pakistan should better not comment over India.

Meanwhile, Priyanka Gandhi in her last-ditch effort to salvage some pride by pleasing a particular religious people in the impending UP election debacle of her party echoed the similar lines of Malala. She opined that wearing hijab, jeans and bikini are fundamental rights of every Indian. Yes, we all agree that our Constitution has given us rights to wear according to our wishes, but does it mean that one student should go to school or college wearing bikini?

Julie Bhuyan,

Gaurisagar.

Time schedule of pink buses

Through your esteemed daily, I would like to highlight the issue of the timing of the pink buses in Guwahati, launched under the scheme of 'Bhraman Sarathi', which is a revolutionary step taken by the Government of Assam. Pink buses make it easier for women and senior citizens to travel around the city, but since there is less number of buses available the buses maintain a schedule that many citizens are not aware of. The timing of the buses which travel through different routes has different timing, but it is not mentioned anywhere regarding the exact time due to which many women and senior citizens are deprived of the pink bus scheme.

Therefore, I request the concerned authority to look into the matter and make the schedule available, which will be convenient for the citizens.

Nabamallika Bordoloi,

(nabamallikabordoloi564@gmail.com)

Deplorable NH-37

I, being a regular traveller via NH-37 for the past few years, have noticed that the four-lane highway connecting Guwahati to Tinsukia has not improved an inch. Our Chief Minister who always travels by helicopter has not tasted the hellish experience of travelling from Numaligarh point to Dibrugarh. A single one-way journey via that stretch by any vehicle is set to give body aches and also damage the suspension system of the car. The four-lane construction, which started in Tarun Gogoi's time, is still going on at slower than a snail's pace. By this pace one can expect that construction of the project is unlikely to be finished before 2035. The condition of the road and the plight of the vehicle owners have been shown umpteen times in several news channels and newspapers, but failed to activate the concerned authorities. In next three months monsoons are due and one can imagine what will happen to the vehicles and the commuters. I believe this delay is done purposefully by the construction firms in association with the Government officials so that the project cost escalates and it becomes a milch cow for the contractors, Government officials, MLAs, various regional organisations, ex-ULFAs and ministers.

Pratap Dutta,

Tezpur.

Lata ji leaves a void

A big loss to the nation, because we all lost our nightingale Lata Didi. I think this is the saddest day in the history of the musical industry of our country. Lata ji had sung in several regional languages and hats off to her peers during her heyday of singing. Lata ji has had a connection with Assamese songs through Dr Bhupen Hazarika's composed songs like 'Dil hom hom kare'. The song became so iconic. She is specially known as 'Queen of Melody' and the 'Nightingale of India'. Her contribution towards Indian music is unforgettable. She was honoured with many awards, including Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Dadasaheb Phalke Award. She leaves a void in our nation that cannot be filled. The coming generation will remember her as a stalwart of Indian culture.

Chandan Kumar Nath,

Sorbhog.

This is life

It is election time for many States. Election fever has reached its crescendo as the days of election are nearing. In fact, by this time the first phase of voting in Uttar Pradesh is over. No stones were left unturned by the contesting parties to woo the voters by fair and foul means. Money, the Black variety, is flowing like water. The Election Commission has become over-active keeping a sharp eye on the expenditures committed by the contesting parties. Massive public rallies were held where the attendants were transported and fed freely on that particular day.

Going by the present trend of electioneering, one wonders as if in the same nation one has to move miles to get his/her two square meals on time. On the other hand, a few have to move miles to digest the meals he or she has consumed. This is really strange.

Dr Ashim Chowdhury,

Guwahati.

Domestic abuse

amid Covid-19

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the world, reports of domestic violence keep growing. The world was already facing a crisis of domestic violence with women and children being the major victims. And now the pandemic is only exacerbating the problem. The rampant spread of the virus has forced the victims to stay indoors with the abusers, leaving them with little opportunities to seek refuge. With work places closed and visits of friends and relatives to houses politely dissuaded, abusers easily take control over the victims' milieu. The United Nations Population Fund has released a report, which says that pandemics increase the risk of gender-based violence. The report adds that during the Ebola outbreak, women and children had experienced higher rates of sexual violence. International development organizations must speed up their efforts to prevent and address this issue seriously in order to stop the pandemic of violence.

Ranganathan Sivakumar,

Chennai -600 091