sentinelgroup@gmail.com
Street vendors’ menace
It is indeed a matter of shame and serious concern that the city has continued to witness a substantial increase in the number of street vendors for the absence of designated vending zones in Guwahati, which deprives the pedestrians of their legitimate right to use pavements freely. Moreover, now, more and more vendors who have availed loans under the PM Street Vendor's Atma Nirbhar Nidhi (PMSVA-Nidhi) have started vending on the streets for livelihood and repayment of the loan amount, which has made the problem more serious. Now, a question arises: what is our Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) practically doing to check this menace? Only notifying 81 locations in the city as designated vending zones is not at all sufficient unless the order on paper is implemented in letter and spirit. The GMC cannot escape from the legal mandate to facilitate the vendors to carry on their trade and business without any fear and inconvenience. The editorial, 'Regulating street vending in Guwahati,' published in your esteemed daily on March 8, has said that the construction of vending zones is not a mega construction project. It requires simple civil engineering skills and proper planning to make the best use of the city's vacant land. The GMC authorities' inability to undertake even a small-scale project like the creation of vending space in identified locations only points towards its inefficiency. Pavement encroachment by street vendors and haphazard parking of vehicles along the roadsides by market-goers who suddenly stop by to pick up food items sold by street vendors not only add to traffic chaos but also have added to pedestrians' woes. Until the designated vending zones are created, no-vending zones need to be demarcated and notified so that city residents and commuters can prevent the unauthorized vendors from vending in these zones. Nowadays, one can easily notice street vendors selling vegetables on the side of the city's main roads, especially on weekends; it is really an eyesore and totally unhygienic, with the City Police looking the other way. As per the Street Vendors Act 2014, the GMC authorities should protect the rights of urban street vendors and regulate street vending. But, sadly, the city continues to grapple with the problem with no immediate solution in sight. Now, a policy decision is needed to be adopted by the authorities by taking the street vendors' bodies into confidence to make it mandatory to display the GMC-issued identity cards in front of registered street vendors to help the authorities to identify the unauthorized street vendors operating across the city in order to prevent them from carrying on trade illegally. Realising the consequences, the authorities should come out with a holistic and multi-pronged approach to put an end to the problem of unauthorized vending on the pavements and sidewalks of the city roads by the street vendors, as it is critical from the point of view of the safety and security of city residents. The sooner it is done, the better it is for the city dwellers.
Iqbal Saikia,
Guwahati.
Man of Action
It has become very clear that immediately after taking over the charge as President of the USA for the second term, Donald Trump meant business, keeping the interest of the USA over all other things, come what may. Firstly, he started deporting the illegal immigrants from the USA to their native countries as per US law without caring for any international backlash, unlike India. Next, he imposed tariffs on goods coming from all nations, however friendly they were. Lastly, he has sent an ultimatum to Hamas, a deadly terrorist outfit, to release all the hostages, including those dead, and leave the Gaza Strip immediately or face the music. He seems to be a man of action and calls a spade a spade. Hamas deserves this sort of treatment, as those who live by the gun die by the gun.
Dr. Ashim Chowdhury,
Guwahati.
Indian football story
That 40-year-old Sunil Chhetri has been "coaxed" out of retirement by Indian football team's head coach Manolo Marquez to join the team for the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers is a tribute to the great footballer's prowess but does not reflect well on the overall Indian football scenario. The Santosh Trophy, which once evoked a passing interest, has almost no takers even among some media correspondents. In fact, the Durand Cup came into being as far back as 1888. One cannot say that Indian football lacked the "headturners." Far from it—there were plenty of them: PK Banerjee, Bhaichung Bhutia, Chhetri, IM Vijayan, and Climax Lawrence readily come to mind. But, alas, football is an 11-member team game where individual brilliance is next to nothing.
While hockey went from strength to strength in the 60s and the 70s to catch the country's imagination, the sport of football in India landed with a thud after an initial take-off. That said, Indian football had its moments of glory when it qualified for the FIFA World Cup way back in 1950. The legendary Syed Abdul Rahim was a classy player who carried the Indian football team to the victory podium in the 1951 Asian Games. The successful conduct of the biennial under-17 World Cup in India in 2017 attracted considerable attention. The advent of the Indian Super League (ISL) in India in 2013 and the I-League of Asia has helped the domestic players to mingle with some reasonably big international names. The crowd support for the ISL has been beyond expectations and augurs well for the future.
Dr Ganapathi Bhat
(gbhat13@gmail.com)
Play safe Holi
Holi celebrations can be ruined if children are not taught to play safely with colours. To keep your kids safe, you can get them to make natural colours at home or buy herbal colours from the market.
Before stepping out of the house, make sure your child applies mustard or coconut oil all over the body and face. Also, oil the hair to prevent the colours from reaching deep into the roots. Teach your child not to put colours on someone forcefully or bully him or her. And most importantly, keep children hydrated.
Jubel D'Cruz,
(jubeldcruz@yahoo.com)
SC order on forests
I hail the Supreme Court order passed while hearing pleas against the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023, which was a "stinging rebuke" to the Modi government's systematic efforts to dilute the institutions as well as regulatory systems for ecological conservation in the country. The Supreme Court on Tuesday, March 4, directed all states and union territories to constitute within a month their expert committees for preparing a consolidated record of lands, including forest-like areas, unclassed, and community forest lands. A bench of justices B.R. Gavai and Augustine George Masih said the expert committee shall complete the exercise within six months, as required under Rule 16 (1) of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Rules, 2023.
The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023, was among the most draconian laws introduced by the Union government. The Modi government's amendments would have attempted to limit the total coverage of forests in the country to about 7.13 lakh sq km, excluding an additional 1.97 lakh sq km that would be included under forests by the dictionary definition of the word, With this, I welcome the SC order.
Bhagwan Thadani
(bhagwan_thadani@yahoo.co.in)
Kapil Mishra’s plea dismissed
Glad to read that the Delhi court on Friday dismissed a plea by Delhi law minister Kapil Mishra against the summons issued to him for making "objectionable statements" and violating the model code of conduct in 2020.
The court observed that the Election Commission of India was under a constitutional obligation to prevent electoral candidates from indulging in "vitriolic vituperation with impunity, vitiating and contaminating the atmosphere for free and fair elections." Mishra is accused of posting objectionable statements in electronic media on January 23, 2020, from his X (then Twitter) handle in connection with the then Delhi legislative assembly elections, based on which a complaint was filed by the returning officer, which resulted in an FIR. Mishra’s statements appeared to be "a brazen attempt to promote enmity on the grounds of religion by way of indirectly referring to a country that, unfortunately, in common parlance is often used to denote the members of a particular religion.". With this, the court action is in the right direction, as nobody is above the law.
Bhagwan Thadani
(bhagwan_thadani@yahoo.co.in)
Equal pay demand
The ongoing strike by NHM employees over job regularisation and equal pay highlights a crucial issue in today’s dynamic job market. With rising inflation and economic uncertainty, fair pay is not just a demand—it’s a necessity. Contractual workers form the backbone of public healthcare but face job insecurity and unequal wages.
In a time when skilled professionals seek stability, failing to address their concerns risks talent loss and service disruption. Ensuring equitable compensation will not only boost morale but also strengthen healthcare delivery. The government must act swiftly to create a fair and sustainable workforce.
Ashif Shamim
(shamim.ashif@gmail.com)