“Safety is Prevention, better than Cure”

Sir,
  As soon as the season of monsoon arrived, the P.H.E department has already shown us, its facile concern for the daily consumers, who expect more respect and responsibility towards the general public and consumers in particular, in giving clear , odorless and safe supply of potable drinking water to every individual households. The Public Health Engineering (P.H.E) department has done its job very adversely again in providing unclear, odorous (disgusting smell) and unsafe water to the innocent consumers who use daily unknowing its ill-effects with less dissemination of information regarding the fact about the water supplied to them (us). What a shame and pathetic condition/sorry state of affairs but sometimes I wonder what they are doing when the people of Tura Town and other regions of Meghalaya are facing such a horrific, hazardous and blatant act by providing the name tag PURIFIED POTABLE WATER, committed by our own trusted so-called Government department instead of taking account on permanent solution and supplying a real potable water which is best known to them of persistent matter from the ages. What it really makes me astound is that one or two months back/so, the over-all quality of water has drop down its critical point of standard quality somewhat objectionable, in which it can be recognized and distinguished from its physical and chemical state form, present in the so-called potable water.

Environmental destruction galore along Guwahati Shillong Highway

Sir,
The widening of the G.S. Road, the Shillong – Tura Road and the Shillong – Guwahati Road via Mairang and also the construction of the Shillong By-pass are very much appreciated as it is already evident that the movement of Traffic has improved significantly along these routes although the roads have not been completed. But for one who is sensitive to the environment, the construction of these roads have brought along massive destruction to the eco-system along these routes. The construction companies, it seem, have cared less about the way they carry about their activities for the upkeep of environmental norms as required, which could be evident from the destruction of vast tracks of forested areas and the haphazard and unscientific dumping of spoils. Only the experts would be able to say how much damage to the eco-system have been done due to the loss of hundreds of hectares of forest land and what measures should have been done to compensate for such loses. But what  one is deeply worried about is the manner in which the spoils have been dumped and one need not be an expert to fathom the after effects of these actions perpetrated by the companies constructing these roads. All along these roads, one could already see paddy fields and agricultural lands being destroyed by the debris of the muck falling into those lands bringing about so much misery to the farmers who are dependent on those lands. Another visible effect is the vanishing of rivulets and streams along these roads as these have been saturated with muck flowing from the dumping of spoils and again people in the affected villages are seen to have suffered as they have to search for new sources of drinking water and new washing places at much greater distances as their once dependent and thriving sources have suddenly disappeared. The enjoyment of the villagers in their leisure time of catching the small fishes and having a tasty meal have also now been snatched away.
If one is not mistaken environmental clearances are perhaps required for these projects after environmental impact assessment, environmental management plan and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Measures are suppose to be framed and public consultation is also supposed to be carried out. The MOEF and the Meghalaya Pollution Control Board are supposed to oversee about the environmental issues and whatever measures they may have adopted on the construction of these roads  are not at all visible on the ground and from the environmental perspective one is inclined to think that the construction of these roads is indeed a tragedy.
Also, this is to bring to the notice of the authorities concerned that unless something is done, a tragedy is in the offing during this monsoon on the stretch of road on the NH 40 near the Ryndang Briew where land development is currently being carried out, without much concern to the safety of the commuters and the environment, since it is seen that sometimes loose excavated material tumble down from the hill side unto the highway and large quantity of muck have choked all the drains on that stretch and which eventually flows into the Umiam river.
   
H. Lyngdoh

Electricity conflux, MeECL’s awful management

Sir,
The load shedding has hardly begun and already there is so much fuss directed at the incompetency and bad management by MECL. Perhaps this is due to the fact that load shedding is still alien to us since we have been fortunate to be a surplus power state all along. We have become used to a culture: of not getting water supply during the dry months but we hardly complain; of pot-holed roads but we trod along over them; of bad civic amenities but are able to live alongside the filth and dirt; rising costs but still manage to get on with life; and on and on goes the list, but we are yet to cope up with the new culture of power deficit. But the people of our land have been resilient to all the shortcomings that are besotting them and if the whole country can bear with the load shedding it is sure that we can also adapt and get along with this shortcoming like the rest of them.

Fake universities who bothers about it

Sir,
It is very much shocking to read the news about fake universities, saddening thousands of students of our state.
The presence of these ‘fake’ universities has created a bad image for other Universities that are functioning according to norms in our state. What I feel is that the State Government should have formed a Regulatory body to oversee the functioning of these universities and others to look in-depth as to how they are actually running such institutions all over country. 
Even those who are aware of such things allege that CMJ University enjoys the patronage of top politicians in the State and have therefore been able to flout all norms without being penalized. Who doesn’t know what is going on but who bothers about it?

Leoberth S Rongmuthu
Advocate
Shillong High Court