Letters to Editor

Army Recruitment Drive

Every year, thousands of youths from across India try their luck at an open Army recruitment drive in Dehradun. The recruitment rallies are organized every year in the cantonment area of Dehradun. For residents, it is a common sight to find young men occupying almost every square inch in the competition to get the job. There are some who are kind-hearted enough to offer them food and shelter for free, but there are others who use this as an opportunity to earn some money. The issue is that these rallies are organized for recruitment, but does the responsibility of the Army end here? Is it so difficult to put up tents and provide mobile washrooms? One can well imagine the sanitary conditions after these recruitment drives. When no less than the Prime Minister is actively involved in spreading awareness about the need to maintain cleanliness, why does the Army fail to observe these standards? These are the little social issues that need to be addressed.

Satish Kumar Sarma,

Kalyanpur, Biswanath Chariali

Cleanliness and Government of Assam

Prime minister Narendra Modi's  Swaccha Bharat Abhiyan, it seems, has been turned into a farcical exercise in Assam, if the cleanliness maintained by the municipalities of all the major towns of Assam, including the Guwahati Municipal Corporation, is anything to go by. In our opinion, the MLAs of the respective constituencies have miserably failed on their part either to monitor it or to arrange for providing the citizens' toilets with the fund allocated to them. Few months back, many MLAs vociferously expressed their unhappiness in not receiving their fund meant for the development of their constituencies.

In New Delhi, the MLAs (AAP or BJP) try to maintain the cleanliness of their respective constituencies as far as possible. Although in a country like India where the people lack the sense of decency, the idea of maintaining cleanliness is like cleansing of the Augean stable. Nevertheless, the way the MLAs, with their fund, provide the citizens with toilets (paid) is praiseworthy. In contrasts, our MLAs are seen maintaining liaison with all the sections of the people just to pave their way for ensuring their win in the next election. But in doing so, they have little time left with them to focus on cleanliness. In Dibrugarh, our veteran MLA too appears nonchalant to this vital point. As the  town is growing by leaps and bounds, proportionate  infrastructure is conspicuously absent. In certain busy thoroughfares, one cannot pass without holding one's nose due to stench, not to speak of foul smell of urination .

Through this column of your esteemed daily, we appeal to the district administration and the MLA concrned to take appropriate steps to do away with the problems confronting the people. 

Ashok Bordoloi, Dibrugarh.

Water Scarcity and Abuse of water  

A serious and alarming situation arises for groundwater scarcity for household purpose and drinking purpose in many States due to construction of huge high-rise buildings everywhere as well as abuse of water carelessly. There is gradual depletion of groundwater table. On the other hand, infiltration of water is less. The surface water is also going down due to greenhouse effect. I would, therefore, like to request the government, NGOs, intellectuals, media to spread awareness programme against abuse of water carelessly and take recourse to rain water. harvesting.

Putul Sarma,

Bamgaon, Biswanath Chariali.