Letters to the EDITOR: Traffic jams in Guwahati

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Traffic jams in Guwahati

I am writing to express my concern regarding the worsening traffic situation in Guwahati. Traffic jams have become a daily ordeal for residents, leading to stress, increased pollution, and a significant waste of time and fuel. The congestion, especially during peak hours, affects not only commuters but also emergency services, leading to potentially life-threatening delays. Several factors contribute to this problem. The city’s infrastructure has not kept up with the growing number of vehicles, and frequent encroachments of footpaths and poor traffic management only worsen the situation. Furthermore, narrow roads, inadequate public transport options, and lack of designated parking areas add to the congestion. To alleviate this issue, I urge the authorities concerned to consider short-term solutions such as better traffic regulation, removing illegal encroachments, and optimizing signal timings. In the long term, investment in public transportation, widening of key roads, and the development of a metro or bus rapid transit system could significantly reduce congestion and improve quality of life for Guwahati’s residents. Thank you for providing a platform to raise this important issue.

Munmee Roy,

Gauhati University

Assam needs

more veterinarians

The news headline, 'Why can't department rise to the occasion?' published in your esteemed daily on November 21 has drawn our attention. The state's livestock and poultry sector is replete with potential, but, unfortunately, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development has neither been able to deliver the goods in its twin objectives of safeguarding the health of livestock and poultry while generating livelihoods for a large segment of the populace. The rural economy, in particular, has been driven to a large extent by the livestock and poultry sector. In recent times, many educated youths have taken to animal husbandry, which in turn has triggered a surge in entrepreneurship. With the sector frequently hit hard by African Swine fever and bird flu in recent years, it is all the more important that the state has veterinarians in adequate numbers. As per reports, the department has only 346 veterinary doctors against the sanctioned posts of 703.The ideal ratio between veterinary doctors and livestock should be 1:5,000, but, sadly, the state's doctor-livestock ratio is 1:18,375. As a result, the rural farmers are deprived of getting the right services during the outbreak of epidemics.The department has launched various schemes to prevent diseases and manage animals, but it is not possible to reach the target farmers in their times of distress with inadequate manpower. The biggest hurdle is that most of the farmers are not in the organised sector and their lack of access to proper information and scientific intervention has been a major factor hindering the growth of the sector.The condition of the veterinary hospitals and dispensaries across the state is pathetic and need to be revamped.The state will be self-sufficient in meat,eggs and dairy products only when the sector has long-term and sustained investment to put it in the fast-track growth path.For a state like Assam, agriculture, livestock, and poultry farming need to be made more appealing to the young generation to build a robust rural economy. Therefore, the sector needs technological intervention, institutional finance, and market linkage to ensure more people are engaged in it. The realization of its huge untapped potential is the need of the hour.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati.

Reining in reel creators

That the Railway Board has asked the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police (GRP) to adopt a "zero tolerance" policy towards Instagram reel creators who pose a threat to smooth railway operations, and inconvenience to passengers, is a most welcome move. Recently, near Jaipur, a man drove his SUV directly onto the tracks and was saved in the nick of time by an alert loco pilot who safely halted the train at a distance. Young men, brushing against death by travelling on train footboards and tantalizingly close to an approaching train on the tracks, have to be hauled up, literally and figuratively. Additionally, the propensity of youngsters to place objects on the tracks for the sake of "reels" has become a pain in the neck.

 Those who walk beside fast-moving trains sidetrack the fact that the latter are, unfortunately, not "Instagram crazy" like them. And, they can cover a lot of distance in quick time. India has the dubious distinction of topping the list of countries with a large number of global selfie-related deaths. Any corner of the country will do for the selfie and Instagram maniacs: seasides, highways, mountain cliffs, high buildings, and waterfalls. Since it has now become clear that no amount of warning boards or selfie zones can deter the "Instagram reel creators," punitive action seems to be the only way out.

Dr Ganapathi Bhat

(gbhat13@gmail.com)

The quality of infrastructure needs to be strictly controlled

The 20 km long Itanagar-Jhot road, our first highway, is in poor condition. Landslides caused serious damage, and some roads even collapsed in many areas. I think this is a very serious matter. Building roads was supposed to promote the development of our society, but now it has become an obstacle. Contractors and the public sector should at least clear it. Mud collects near the highway. This is a major threat to commuters and could lead to further deterioration of the roads.

This year's monsoon weather has been particularly bad, which has had a lot of impact on our lives. Many infrastructures have been damaged to varying degrees, which is sad. Nowadays, many people are also worried that a monsoon will cause damage to roads. The quality of such roads is also worrying. It is recommended that the government strictly control the quality of infrastructure. After all, construction is time-consuming and labour-intensive and is not easy. The money spent must also be carefully reviewed, and there must be no corruption or bribery.

Nabam Aniya

(pemadekyi695@gmail.com)

Toilets as super spots

At a time when people normally despise going to public toilets, especially in cities and towns, because of the pathetic, repulsive, and unhygienic condition, the city of Indore has shown an exemplary way of how toilets can become 'super spots' and use them without any hesitation. The Indore corporation launched a unique campaign—'Toilet'super spot'—on World Toilet Day (19th Nov), inviting the public to use public toilets and take selfies. Thousands of people clicked selfies outside public toilets in the cleanest city of the country as part of a unique campaign.

The campaign was launched by the Indore Municipal Corporation to encourage cleanliness and maintenance in over 700 public toilets and urinals in the city and show the world how toilets can be kept in the most healthy and hygienic manner. The corporation appealed to people to use them and click selfies outside if they are satisfied with the facilities. The response was very good as the citizens fully supported the campaign and made it a very successful one with more than one lakh selfies being taken. The Municipal Corporation's aim to encourage cleanliness and maintenance in over 700 public toilets and urinals in the city, as well as indoor toilets in slums, is truly one that can be emulated by the other cities and towns of India.  It is noteworthy that Indore, which has topped the National Cleanliness Survey seven times in a row, has now come out with an exemplary and unique campaign that turns it into a model city from where others can take a leaf out of.

M Pradyu

(pradyumukund22@gmail.com)