Letter to THE EDITOR: Kudos to the editorial of June 4

Kudos to the editorial of June 4

Kudos to you for your well-timed editorial dated June 4, which flagged the burning issues confronting Guwahati. The editorial showcased issues of serious environmental challenges consequent upon the present demolition drive and proposed demolition works. The Crusade against Drugs, eviction drives at Garukhuti and Xatras, establishing medical colleges, Orunodoi, and Vasundhara-type schemes are people-oriented and tackled the Corona pandemic. We have never seen such people-friendly activities. We need to be objective. The present demolition drive is unwarranted. It is not a priority. Thankfully, we are getting our pension regularly with an enhanced dearness allowance. Many state governments are faltering. Business-minded states are ruling the roost.

Gautam Ganguly,

Guwahati.

Fogging required

With the rise in temperature, the menace of mosquitoes is also on the rise, and the repellants available in the market, like Allout, Goodnight, etc., do not seem to work to contain this menace. Earlier, we could see fogging done in the areas by the administration. Years have passed and this action, which had prevented the breeding of mosquitoes, is missing. It is a request to the authorities concerned to look into this matter and do the needful if feasible.

Purabi Pathak Barua,

Guwahati.

India’s first English news anchor passes away

With the passing of Gitanjali Aiyar, the nation has lost one of the finest news anchors, who was a pioneer in English news presentation on Doordarshan with flamboyance for over three decades. With her legendary voice and distinctive style, Gitanjali Aiyar made watching the news on television an absolute pleasure. In her illustrious career spanning over three decades, she received the prestigious accolade of Best Anchor Person for four times. In the late 70s and 80s, when the television audience in India was living on popular programmes like Chitrahaar and Krishi Darshan, the 9.00 p.m. primetime news was made so popular and fascinating by newsreaders like Gitanjali Aiyar, Minu Talwar, Neethi Ravindran, Ramu Damodaran, and so on. It was also a time when watching Doordarshan news was considered necessary to improve one’s English. In an interview once, Aiyar said: "An auto-driver in Dehradun would not take any money after dropping me off at the school where my son was studying, as many felt that we were doing a lot for the nation. It was very touching." Gitajali Aiyar’s departure leaves a huge void in Indian journalism. Who will not remember Gitanjali Aiyar and her captivating voice?

Ranganathan Sivakumar,

siva19kumar@gmail.com.