Letters to The EDITOR: Unhygienic condition of toilets in train

Trains act as a major form of transport for many centuries now.But most importantly the toilets in trains are unfortunately not at all hygienic, clean and sanitized, which can lead to spreading harmful diseases.

There is also no cleaning arrangement rather than doing it manually.It is pitiful to say that trains carry lakhs of passengers daily but still lack proper sanitary facilities. Toilets should be cleaned after every 3-4 hours by well-trained staff or there should be development of proper supervising mechanism.

Public should also be very careful while using the toilets. Throwing away bottles, sanitary napkins and plastic causes blockage in the toilets. Hence,to overcome such problems, the Railway Minister should focus on the area of improvement and public awareness programmes should also be implemented by the Railway administration.

Spaini Barman

Gauhati University

Experience at Khanapara Veterinary Field

Khanapara Veterinary Field is generally considered as one of the largest fields of Guwahati because most of the meetings take place there. Recently I visited there to attend the 7th International Agri-Horticultural Show. The show was very amazing as it attracted a very large number of people. The meeting was inaugurated with the presence of very large numbers of people, including ministers of all other departments and the Chief Minister of Assam as the chief guest. The meeting was attended by various people but there was a lack of certain facilities, especially those relating to hygiene. Hygiene is very important to control the risk of spreading diseases. If proper hygiene is maintained then we can prevent the spread of diseases and ensure betterment of society and welfare of all. But there was no proper sanitary facility at the Khanapara Agri-Horticultural Show. This created a great difficulty for the people. This reflected poorly on the government's attitude towards maintenance of hygiene.

Manish Kashyap,

B Borooah College, Guwahati

Positive news

On the first day of the English New Year, positive news appear on the front pages of newspapers. This is a good thing. However, all the positive news on other days of the year usually does not appear on the front pages of newspapers. But every day's newspaper has at least one positive news, perhaps published on the inside pages. Through this letter we would like to make a request to the editors of newspapers to publish positive news on the front page of newspapers.

In addition, reports are prepared at the end of the year highlighting various aspects of our state but most of these reports are Guwahati-centric. Those who prepare such reports should remember that there is significant work in different parts of our state outside Guwahati which should be included in such reports. The reporters should put in a little effort to include information on the significant works in different parts of Assam in the reports as Guwahati does not mean the whole of Assam.

Dr Buljit Buragohain,

Assam Don Bosco University,

Guwahati – 781 017

The Election Commission of India (ECI) initiating the Assembly and Parliamentary constituency delimitation process in Assam with the Census figures of 2001 has sent the political parties and organizations on their toes in the state. It is because issues like the delimitation of constituencies in a state touch everybody, one way or the other. The constituency delimitation was long overdue in Assam. When the Election Commission of India was ready to start the process, an all-party delegation from Assam met the then Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil in 2007 and told him that the delimitation process would create law-and-order problems in the state. The then State Government also expressed the same view before the Central Government. And since then, the issue of delimitation of constituency in Assam regained hung. (See the front-page report in The Sentinel published on December 28.)

It was after present Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informed the Election Commission recently that the delimitation exercise would not have any impact on the law-and-order situation in the state the Commission initiated the process. The Chief Minister did appeal to the Election Commission to start the constituency delimitation exercise in the state.

As mandated under Article 170 of the Constitution, the Election Commission will use the 2001 census figures to delimit Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies in the state. The Commission said that it would follow the reservation of seats for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes as per Articles 330 and 332 of the Constitution of India.

During the delimitation exercise, the Commission will keep in mind the physical features, existing boundaries of administrative units, facility of communication, and public convenience. It said that it would keep the constituencies geographically compact as far as practicable. It will publish the draft proposal for the delimitation of constituencies in Assam in the Central and State Gazettes for suggestions/objections from the general public.

Meanwhile, BJP MP Dilip Saikia assured party workers that the delimitation exercise would not increase the number of constituencies in the state. He, however, said that the delimitation process would realign the peripheries of the existing constituencies. The number of Assembly constituencies in the state has been changing since 1952 following changes in its geographical boundaries. The state had 108 constituencies in 1952. It reduced to 105 in 1957, rose to 114 in 1967 and to 126 in 1972.

The AASU (All Assam Students' Union) welcomed the announcement and said, "It is an opportunity to secure the future of the indigenous people of Assam. The delimitation exercise should be in the interest of the indigenous people. Constituency delimitation was a long-pending demand of the AASU. It has a direct bearing on Clause VI of the Assam Accord. The government should discuss the modalities of the constituency delimitation process with all stakeholders."

The AIUDF also welcomed the constituency delimitation process with the rider "it should enable people of all castes and ethnicities to have representations. The delimitation should have taken the 2021 census report, not 2001."

The constituency delimitation move, however, got a cold shoulder from Congress. Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Debabrata Saikia said that the situation in Assam is not conducive for constituency delimitation for various reasons. He appealed to the Central Government to reconsider its decision.

Raising a litany of issues, Saikia said, "The reasons which stalled the constituency delimitation in 2007 persist even now. The NRC update is not yet complete. How can the government go for constituency delimitation without updating the NRC? If the government delimits the constituency without providing ST status to the six ethnic groups, it will be tantamount to depriving them. How can the census data from 20 years back serve the purpose of constituency delimitation? Won't it be a waste of the public exchequer? The purpose of delimitation is the 'nearly even distribution of voters in the constituencies'. The distribution of voters in the constituencies in the state is almost even now. Against such a backdrop, the government going for constituency delimitation is only for political mileage."

The picture is clear that the constituency delimitation process may hit a roadblock from Congress and AIUDF. The Congress may raise issues like deciding the fate of the over 19 lakh people categorized as ineligible for entry in the NRC, providing ST status to the Moran, Mottock, Chutia, Koch-Rajbongshi, Tai Ahom and Tea Tribe etc., before delimiting the constituencies in the state. The Congress, which failed to resolve the issue of ST status to the six ethnic groups for decades, has hit 'where it hurts' by raising the issue of ST status to the six ethnic groups before delimiting constituencies.

Topo Singha,

Milan Nagar, Barbari, Guwahati

Picnic menace

A picnic is a meal consumed outside while on an outing, typically in beautiful settings like a park, lake, or other location with an eye-catching view. Time spent outdoors has a way of reviving us. We can immerse ourselves in nature and take a break from our busy life by going on picnic dates with our loved ones. However, the materials we bring on picnics run the risk of harming the ecosystem.

Picnics are always popular in the winter. Unfortunately, picnickers still use plastic or styrofoam plates and cups to serve food, water, tea, and other beverages nowadays. The environment is polluted by these goods. Even worse, they don't even clean the place afterwards. Instead, picnickers should use environmentally-friendly goods. On picnics, it's common to observe people listening to loud music, which can contribute to noise pollution. The effects of persistent loud noise on human health are numerous. Additionally, trash should be disposed of in dustbin rather than at picnic areas. We observe people fighting with one another after drinking at a picnic and endangering the environment. People should stop engaging in such behaviour and enjoy eco-friendly picnics instead.

Parilina Das,

Gauhati University.