Faulty elevators in public buildings
Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I wish to highlight the frequent breakdown of elevators in public buildings.
Elevators in hospitals, government offices, shopping complexes, and educational institutions are often found to be out of order. This causes severe inconvenience to elderly people, patients, pregnant women, and people with disabilities. Many are forced to climb stairs, risking health issues and accidents.
In emergency situations, non-functioning elevators can delay medical assistance and create panic. In many buildings, maintenance is irregular, complaint numbers are missing, and repair work is delayed for days. This reflects poor management and lack of accountability. The concerned authorities should ensure regular inspection and timely maintenance of elevators. Displaying emergency contact numbers, conducting safety checks, and penalizing negligent agencies can help prevent such issues. Functional elevators are not a luxury but a basic necessity in public spaces.
I hope the authorities will take immediate steps to ensure safety and convenience for all.
Smriti Patar
Gauhati University
Urban development at cost of liveability
Assam’s urban centres are undergoing a visible transformation. Cities like Guwahati, Silchar, Dibrugarh, and Jorhat are expanding rapidly, driven by population growth, infrastructure projects, and rising economic aspirations. However, this urban development has increasingly come at the cost of liveability, raising serious concerns about planning and sustainability.
Guwahati, often called the gateway to the Northeast, reflects this contradiction most starkly. Flyovers, commercial complexes, and housing projects have multiplied, yet traffic congestion, waterlogging, and waste mismanagement remain persistent problems. Wetlands such as Deepor Beel, once natural flood buffers, are shrinking due to encroachment, worsening floods during the monsoon. The loss of green spaces and hills has further intensified environmental stress.
Unplanned construction has also affected basic civic life. Narrow roads, inadequate drainage systems, and irregular public transport make daily commuting exhausting. Rising real estate prices have pushed low-income communities to the city’s margins, increasing inequality and straining urban services. Smaller towns in Assam are following a similar path, often replicating Guwahati’s mistakes without learning from them. Urban development in Assam must shift from a concrete-centric model to people-centric planning. Protecting wetlands, strengthening public transport, and enforcing zoning laws are essential for long-term liveability. Development should enhance quality of life, not diminish it. Without sustainable planning, Assam’s cities risk becoming spaces of survival rather than places worth living in.
Aditi Upadhaya
(upadhyayaditi2672@gmail.com)
Negligence
of PWD or GMC?
A massive manhole on the footpath in front of the 'Bubul Shoe' store at Barbari Chariali, which is located almost at the midpoint of the VIP road connecting Sixmile and Narengi in Guwahati, has been left open for almost a year. After a few newspapers reported on this issue, officials from the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) visited the site, but there's been no follow-up action since. It's likely they submitted a report to the corporation, but it seems they've ignored their responsibility to repair the manhole and ensure public safety. Some claim it's the responsibility of the Public Works Department (PWD), leaving us confused. Whether it's the GMC or the PWD, it's clear they're being negligent. Can't they fix the manhole despite being separate departments? Are they understaffed or filled with incompetent officials? The apathy suggests senior authorities are also failing in their duty.
Pabitra Kr. Sarma
Barbari Chariali, Hengerabari
Elephant warning system
Very painful! In the name of development, humans have encroached into natural habitats, reduced food supply for animals and built roads, railway lines and even cities on their feeding grounds and migration paths. Animals don’t understand roads or signs for safe corridors along them. As a result, we see how the trains killed various kinds of animals many times, as it happened when at least seven elephants were killed and one injured after a herd was hit by the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Assam’s Hojai district at around 2.17 AM on Saturday. Luckily, though five coaches and the engine of the New Delhi-bound train were derailed in the incident, no injuries to passengers were reported. One has to agree that trains cannot be stopped abruptly upon encountering elephants crossing the tracks; even if emergency brakes are applied, a fully loaded train can only come to a stop after travelling at least 1.6 kilometres. Moreover, the much-hyped 'Kavach' system is primarily designed to prevent train-to-train collisions, enforce speed limits, and prevent trains from passing red signals, largely addressing human error issues, not animal detection specifically.
Yes, it’s possible to detect elephants on tracks if the AI-based system in Tamil Nadu that has achieved 100% success as an early warning system is installed. The system uses camera-mounted towers equipped with 360-degree rotatable thermal and night vision cameras placed along the tracks in reserve forest areas to prevent elephant deaths on railway tracks. It should be installed in other areas prone to human-wildlife conflict near railway lines. The project is a collaboration between the Tamil Nadu Forest Department and the Railways. The system is monitored 24x7 from a dedicated control and command centre. Since its implementation in the Madukkarai forest range (linking Tamil Nadu and Kerala) in November 2023, the system has enabled over 6,500 safe elephant crossings and has recorded zero elephant fatalities in the protected areas, a 100% success rate for preventing deaths in that specific location. The railways should implement this AI-based system in Assam and other areas to protect the lives of animals.
Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee
(bkchatterjee9@gmail.com)
Santa Claus is real
Santa Claus, rooted in Catholic tradition through the historical figure of Saint Nicholas of Myra, exemplifies the Christian virtues of charity, compassion, and selfless giving, which are central to Catholic teachings. Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century bishop known for his piety and generosity to the poor, embodies the Catholic values of helping those in need and practising Christian charity. Over the centuries, his story was embraced and adapted through various cultural traditions, such as the Dutch "Sinterklaas", which emphasized the saint’s role as a benevolent protector and gift-giver. The modern depiction of Santa Claus as a jolly, generous figure continues to inspire the Catholic spirit of giving and joy during Christmas, celebrating God's gift of Jesus Christ and encouraging Christians to embody Christ’s love through acts of kindness and charity.
Jubel D'Cruz,
(jubeldcruz@yahoo.com)