Letters to the Editor

For a Meaningful Assembly Session

The Assam Assembly is currently having its budget session. It is a very important session where the government is expected to come up with proper responses to various issues. There are many issues of importance on which the government is expected to post its replies to the satisfaction of the opposition and the people. For instance, the ga peace agreement is secretive and there are apprehensions that areas of Assam might be handed over to galand in order to solve the decades-long problem of insurgency in that State. The NSCN-IM is a major player. But it is also a fact that its members are involved in many illegal activities. They are also involved in terrorizing the villagers of the border areas in Golaghat district. We would like to know from the government the steps it has taken to secure the lives of people in such areas.

The opposition has a very important role to play in the Assembly. The Global Investors' Summit is just over. Some 200 MoUs have been signed by the government with different companies. These are worth Rs 1 lakh crore. This is a very huge amount, unprecedented in the history of Assam. The opposition should ask the government how it is going to make these MoUs a reality. Only signing of MoUs will not do. A solid roadmap is needed to implement them and sustain the level of investment that has been promised. The opposition should also keep a watch on spending. It should ask the government the timeframe within which those MoUs would be implemented. Only then can meaningful development happen.

The first day of the budget session was marked by huge noise. The opposition disrupted the Governor's address. It should have allowed the Governor to complete his speech and then could have raised its voice against the failure of the government. Such noise and disruptions are undesirable. It sends a wrong message to the people who have high expectations from their elected representatives. We hope that the Assembly session would pass smoothly and lawmakers would be engaged in meaningful dialogues for the sake of peace and development in the State.

Dilip Borbora,

Chandmari, Guwahati-3.

Advantage Assam?

The hype around the just-concluded Global investors' Summit continues with the Sarbanda Sonowal government going aloud with its grand success in organizing the meet and success in drawing a range of business leaders from across the world. But is Assam really in an advantageous position? The biggest problem here is lack of infrastructure. It is pathetic. Roads have to be improved dramatically. The condition of tiol highways is very bad. Investors would have a horrible time if they were to travel on these roads!

The other problem is lack of skilled manpower. Our youth face a serious shortage of skills that are required for developmental works. It is only now that the government has woken up to the need for skill development centres. I think our industrial training institutes have to be upgraded to meet the modern challenges. They are not in good shape. These are important issues that the government cannot overlook. Otherwise 'Advantage Assam' will remain a mere slogan and will become yet another page of history.

Ritu Sarma,

Khapara, Guwahati-22.