New GST and tobacco cess policy
The recent proposal to increase GST compensation cess on tobacco and pan masala has sparked important debates in Parliament. While higher taxes may help discourage harmful consumption and raise revenue, it is crucial that the government ensures this burden does not unfairly impact small vendors and daily-wage consumers. Transparent use of the additional revenue for public health campaigns and de-addiction programmes is essential. A balanced approach can protect both public health and economic stability.
Omar Faruque Mondal,
Goalpara, Assam
Governor's mediation needed to end TU crisis
The ongoing turmoil at Tezpur University, continues to disrupt the academic environment and deeply affect the lives of students and faculty alike. Despite several discussions and attempts at resolving the conflict, a lasting solution still seems out of reach.
The prolonged unrest has created an atmosphere of uncertainty, hindering academic activities and causing immense stress among students who are anxious about their future. The faculty too remains under considerable pressure, and the situation, if allowed to persist, may have long-term repercussions on the institution’s reputation and functioning.
In this context, I earnestly appeal to the Hon’ble Governor of Assam—who is also the Chancellor of Tezpur University—to intervene at the earliest. A constructive dialogue facilitated by the Governor between the university administration, faculty members, and student representatives could pave the way for a fair and peaceful resolution. His intervention would not only restore normalcy but also reinforce confidence among all stakeholders in the institution’s governance.
I hope that the authorities will treat this matter with the seriousness it deserves and take timely steps to restore harmony on the campus.
Noopur Baruah
Ex-student, Tezpur University
Rising fuel costs
burden daily travellers
The continuous rise in fuel prices has become a major concern for daily commuters. Whether they travel by two-wheelers, cars, or public transport, the increasing cost of petrol and diesel directly impacts their daily budget. Many people who commute long distances for work or studies now spend a large portion of their income on travel alone, making it difficult to manage other essential expenses.
Public transport fares also rise when fuel prices go up, affecting students, office-goers, small business workers, and low-income families the most. Auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers struggle as passengers hesitate to pay higher fares, leading to reduced earnings. This situation creates stress, financial burden, and inconvenience for everyone who depends on regular travel.
To ease the problem, authorities need to regulate fuel prices, improve affordable public transport services, and encourage the use of electric vehicles. Without timely action, rising fuel costs will continue to impact people’s daily lives and overall economic stability.
Sharmistha Gogoi,
Gauhati University.
Drug trafficking and IDUs
The editorial 'Twin strategy for drug-free Assam', published in your esteemed daily on December 3, has shocked everyone when we have come to learn about the alarming rise in HIV cases among injecting drug users (IDU) in the state. The current shift in the transmission routes of infection among the drug addicts has become a matter of serious concern. The recent breakthrough of the Narcotics Central Bureau (NCB), Guwahati Zonal Office, speaks volumes of how an international drug trafficking network operates across Myanmar-Manipur-Assam. The operation has highlighted a growing trafficking strategy that exploits vulnerable river systems for cross-border drug movement. Parallel to the drug seizure, there is also a need for immediate destruction of the drug cartels, adoption of a hard reduction strategy, safe disposal of used needles and opioid substitute therapy for the well-being of the IDUs. At the same time, there is also a need for increasing intervention under the Nisha Mukti Bharat Abhiyaan and the National Action Plan for drug demand reduction among the rising injecting drug use in the state.
Therefore, we need a renewed strategy and sustained efforts, along with strengthening measures by Assam Police, to remove the stigma against HIV/AIDS, which is now being replaced with unsafe needle sharing among IDUs. The state will be drug-free if we spread awareness of illicit drug trafficking and drug addiction through massive campaigns in every nook and corner of the state, reaching out especially to every student, youth and vulnerable hidden group, who are the future hope of the state.
Iqbal Saikia,
Guwahati.
A significant move to protect the Xatras
The clearance of the Assam Satra Preservation and Development Commission Bill 2025, moved by Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Keshab Mahanta, is a significant step to protect the xatras, which spread across the length and breadth of the state's land as a hallmark of Assamese identity.
These Vaishnavite monasteries, which were founded by Assamese saint-scholar Mahapurukh Srimanta Sankardev and his disciples in the 15th and 16th centuries, which carry his spiritual and religious legacy today by preserving traditions like Borgeet and Satriya dance, are the cultural heritage of Assam. But recently these cultural edifices have incessantly faced existential threats due to illegal encroachment. Factors like poor record-keeping, porous borders and corruption had enabled some people to turn these Xatra's lands into their 'lebensraum', either by grabbing it forcefully or by acquiring it through bogus processes that escape the dragnet of law.
Though several bighas of xatra lands were recovered through anti-encroachment eviction drives, there was always a need for a rigid legislative measure to cordon off these sacred areas from the reach of the land grabbers. The Assam Satra Preservation and Development Commission Bill 2025 is now a holistic approach to address this long-pending issue, as it promises security, repairs and renovation of xatras. When this Act is implemented, it will not only protect the xatras lands from the local land mafias but also from those buccaneers who destroy the socio-economic infrastructure of Assam once they cross the border clandestinely and settle in the land.
Xatras glint as a pride of Assamese culture and are an institutional propagator of the Vaishnavite philosophy of Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev. Apart from the government, the moral obligation lies on the citizens too to take the onus for their preservation and inform the police and other administrative authorities whenever illegal hovels are seen mushrooming near the xatras.
Kabir Ahmed Saikia
Rajabari,Jorhat
Manipur ambush
The recent ambush in Manipur's Tengnoupal district near the India-Myanmar border, which resulted in the injury of at least four Assam Rifles personnel, raises deep concern.
Despite the strict security measures in the region, such invasion by unidentified heavily armed forces threatens peace and safety. Our soldiers are putting their lives at stake to save the dignity of the nation, yet they face terror assaults one after another in border areas. The government thus must fortify intelligence agencies in order to permanently restrain terrorist elements, ensuring the lives of selflessly contributing soldiers – the crown and pride of our nation – and innocent civilians as well.
Kyamudin Ansari,
(ka4876910@gmail.com)