Are we prepared for the next big earthquake?
As someone living in Assam, I find it worrying that earthquakes continue to occur frequently across our state. While most tremors are minor, they serve as reminders that we live in one of the most earthquake-prone regions of the country.
Recent reports highlighting the number of earthquakes recorded in Assam have once again raised an important question: How prepared are we for a major seismic event? Rapid urban growth in Guwahati and other towns has led to the construction of numerous residential and commercial buildings, but many citizens have little knowledge of whether these structures comply with earthquake-resistant standards. The monsoon season heightens the risk of soil instability and landslides, making disaster preparedness essential. Regular safety audits, strict enforcement of building codes, and public awareness programmes are essential. We may not be able to stop earthquakes, but we can certainly be better prepared for them.
Priya Sharma
Guwahati
Student suicides must be curbed
Student suicides in educational institutions across the country have now become an issue of grave concern for every member of society. The number of student suicides in the country went up by 4.3 per cent. More than 13,000 students took their lives in 2021; the figure surpassed suicides by farmers that year. The Supreme Court has rightly described this disturbing phenomenon as an "epidemic" that demands urgent action. Although brewing mental health crises are a global phenomenon, economic challenges, parental demands for excellence, and examination pressure are shared triggers. The crisis has peculiarities in India. Frequent leak of question papers and consequently cancellation of entrance examinations have compounded the challenge. The country's higher educational institutions function as unequal melting pots where societal inequalities collide with explosive results. When institutions remain passive, the consequences are tragic. Rohith Vemula's death serves as a poignant example. A robust remedial plan must be formulated, involving all stakeholders, and it must go beyond the formulaic. The National Task Force (NTF) has opened the eyes of the nation. The authorities must take immediate action to prevent the further loss of young, scholarly lives in the coming days.
Iqbal Saikia,
Guwahati
The forgotten citizen
The relationship between a government and its citizens is built on a simple principle: the people speak, the government listens. When that principle breaks down, democracy begins to resemble something else.
The ethanol-blending policy has become a textbook example of this growing disconnect.
When E20 petrol was introduced, citizens were told it was necessary. We were told it would benefit the nation. We were told it would help farmers. We were told it would reduce oil imports. What we were not told was why consumers should quietly accept lower mileage, rising running costs, and lingering concerns about vehicle compatibility while fuel prices continued their relentless climb.
Twenty percent of E20 fuel is ethanol. Common sense would suggest that a fuel containing a substantial non-petrol component should offer some meaningful price relief. Instead, consumers have watched petrol prices remain painfully high while being lectured about the virtues of ethanol blending. And now, before the dust has even settled on E20, discussions of E85 and E100 are being pushed forward. It feels less like consultation and more like a predetermined march where public opinion is treated as an inconvenience rather than a democratic necessity. Is this government governing with the people, or merely governing over them?
The answer to that question is in the question itself, and it leans toward the latter part!
Noopur Baruah,
Tezpur
Mob justice
and erosion in
rule of law
The peaceful, tranquil district of North Lakhimpur has witnessed, within days, two incidents that caused serious discussion on social media. In the first, a woman was allegedly stripped off her clothes and assaulted by a mob in public near Konanodi on NH-15, following a dispute over a roadside food stall said to encroach upon government land. It is reported that the unemployed couple solely relies on a food stall to sustain their livelihood, against which threats had allegedly been made earlier by a group of people. In the second instance, an octogenarian from Lechaigaon reportedly died by suicide, allegedly due to fear and intimidation of police prosecution over the theft of a banana flower (koldeel).
Whether any encroachment existed is a question exclusively for the Revenue Department or NHAI to determine through lawful process. It is emphatically not a question that a mob may resolve through public humiliation and assault. Those responsible must be prosecuted under all applicable provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including those relating to attempted murder, assault on a woman, criminal force, unlawful assembly and criminal intimidation, and all material evidence like dao must be secured. As regards the second incident, the facts as reported raise the question of whether the elderly man’s suicide was preceded by conduct amounting to instigation by private persons sufficient to attract the provisions of Section 108 BNS.
What connects these two episodes is not geography but a single dangerous pathology: the collapse of the boundary between state authority and private force. When citizens begin to believe they may punish encroachers, adjudicate disputes, or coerce neighbours into submission, it is rarely because they are lawless by instinct. It is often because they have watched the state exercise power without restraint or accountability for long enough to conclude that force, not process, is the true currency of justice.
Shahin Yusuf
Guwahati.
E-rickshaw issue
Through the columns of your esteemed daily, I would like to draw the attention of the concerned authorities to the growing problem caused by e-rickshaws in the city. According to government regulations, e-rickshaws are permitted to operate only in bylanes and designated areas. However, many e-rickshaws frequently operate on main city roads and even on highways, posing serious risks to traffic management and public safety.
It appears that there is inadequate monitoring and enforcement by the District Transport Office (DTO) and the Traffic Police. Furthermore, many e-rickshaw drivers park their vehicles indiscriminately on roadsides and busy streets, leading to traffic congestion and inconvenience for commuters. I sincerely request the concerned authorities to take immediate and effective measures to enforce the existing rules strictly. Proper regulation of e-rickshaw operations will help ensure smoother traffic flow and enhance public safety.
Samar Deb
Ghoramara, Guwahati