Waste management in Shantipur area
Through your daily, I, Donald Rabha, a student of Pragjyotish College, would like to draw the attention of the authorities towards the problem of waste management in the Shantipur area.
In our locality, there are no proper dustbins for households to dispose of their garbage. The garbage collection vehicle also comes only once a week or sometimes after two weeks. Because of this, many people are forced to throw their waste in the drains. During the rainy season, this becomes worse as the drainage water overflows and all the garbage comes out on the road. At present, all the garbage is also being thrown near the opposite side of our college gate, which creates a very unhygienic situation for the students and public.
I sincerely hope the authorities will take quick action and provide relief to the residents of Shantipur.
Donald Rabha,
(hj583231@gmail.com)
Earthquakes and our preparedness
The several aftershocks that the state felt post Sunday’s 5.8 magnitude quake highlighted the vulnerability of the Kopili fault (KF), which has been generating frequent quakes in the state, including some strong ones, since 1869. The other day’s jolt was felt more intensely due to the shallow depth of the epicentre. It calls for experts to study to know in-depth the reasons behind fault seismicity. The tremor did extensive damage to infrastructure, mainly cracks in walls and ceilings, which is a disquieting concern for many house owners. The September 16 editorial, ‘Mending earthquake preparedness fault lines’, has rightly said that several aftershocks after Sunday’s tremor have pressed the alarm bell for a reality check on earthquake preparedness in the state capital. Now, the immediate task before the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) and the GMC/GMDA is to undertake well-thought-out periodic and comprehensive safety audits of all types of buildings across the city and other adjoining urban growth centres without wasting time by engaging experienced officials for impartial and transparent inspection to make sure whether quality control and disaster-resilient infrastructure is built in Guwahati by private parties as well as by government agencies. The concerned authorities should raze down to the ground non-engineering flats or houses, if any, for the safety of all citizens. Reducing the vulnerability of earthquakes to rubble is an urgent necessity. We must remember that risk prevention measures like rescue and relief and raising awareness levels about the role to be played by home and apartment owners for earthquake preparedness will definitely go a long way in increasing disaster resilience. The GMC/GMDA has a big role to play in making Guwahati a safe place to live. The city requires seismic-resistant building construction instead of design-filled, robust buildings. Now it is time for us to remain alert and be prepared to face eventuality.
Iqbal Saikia,
Guwahati.
Irresponsible attitude
in GU selection process
The Gauhati University has recently advertised some administrative posts, including Assistant Controller of Examinations, Deputy Registrar, etc., in the month of May 2025. The advertisement very clearly mentioned that the eligible candidates will have to appear before the selection committee for an interview when called for. It was also unequivocally stated that in case of a large number of candidates applying for a single post, only the shortlisted candidates will be called for interview. Nowhere in the advertisement was it mentioned that any written examination will be conducted, and no such syllabus was given. But Sir, in violation of the terms and conditions mentioned in the said advertisement, the GU authority on the 20th of August 2025 uploaded a notification that an MCQ-based written examination will be conducted on the 24th of August 2025 to select candidates for the said posts. While shortlisting for senior administrative positions, candidates with higher qualifications and better experience portfolios are usually selected. As the posts are interdisciplinary in nature, it is not at all possible to select the best candidates by conducting a written examination, that too without a defined syllabus. Surprisingly, the notification was uploaded only four days before the examination. And the candidates were not intimated about the examination in their personal emails or phone numbers, although the emails and phone numbers were submitted. Due to this lackadaisical attitude and irresponsible conduct of the GU authority, many worthy and deserving aspirants missed the opportunity to appear in the examination and were subsequently ousted from the selection process. This utter mismanagement of the selection process supports the widespread speculation of nepotism and immoral practices still allegedly prevalent among a section of the GU authority staff. The government should take immediate necessary intervention to bring transparency to the selection process of GU so that the glory and legacy of this premier institute prevail.
Orion Buragohain,
Tezpur
Celebrating
the girl child
National Daughters’ Day is being celebrated on September 28 this year, and it is a day to celebrate and cherish the girl child who brings so much love into our lives. Although we don’t really need a reason to celebrate our children, it’s nice to be given the opportunity to pay our daughters some extra attention and show them how much they are loved.
A daughter is a very special creation in the family. They are created by God. They are not only delicate and lovely, but they are also a strong pillar of the family. Sometimes, their sweet, smiley faces and beauty encapsulate the joys of parenthood and become the cornerstone of strength in the families.
Daughters are a wonderful blessing to the family and are often deemed as ‘Lakshmi’, the Hindu goddess of wealth. The day signifies the importance of females in society and how girls are no less than boys in any sphere of life. The stigma that some cultures have placed around the girl child has not only demoralised girls but has also taken away their dignity as human beings. Therefore, this special day is meant to erase the bad memories and stigmas which are attached to having a girl child instead of a boy child.
Daughters’ Day is a day when parents should make their daughters feel that they are not a burden to them and that they are blessed to have wonderful daughters as their children. Fathers and daughters make an absolutely delightful pair. It is very frequently seen that fathers are extremely caring and protective about their daughters. The responsibility of building a daughter’s self-confidence falls first on the parents’ shoulders. Of course, there are many things to take into consideration here, but we can start by complimenting them more on who they are and what they are great at. This way, we’ll make sure that our daughters understand their true value without looking for validation in a weekly fashion magazine. The joy of raising a daughter into a fully grown-up woman means a lot to parents, thereby showing that a girl child needs special treatment as the “flower” of the house. As a result, creating beautiful and sweet memories for daughters matters a lot. Daughters bring a certain kind of joy into our world. Like all children, they have their own personalities and strengths. As parents, we should look forward to discovering the world through their eyes. Having a daughter is undoubtedly a blessing, though raising a little girl with a high self-esteem in a world saturated with digitally altered images of perfect women can be a real challenge.
Daughters’ Day is celebrated to honour our daughters and to appreciate all that they do for the family. It is a special day set out to celebrate girls for being equal opportunity human beings.
Jubel D’Cruz,
Mumbai