Letters to The Editor

Skeleton bus service

Through this column of your esteemed newspaper I would like to draw the attention of those at the helm of affairs towards the skeleton bus services in the State. The arrival of any minister in any part of the State makes us travel in crowded buses during the corona pandemic. This also leads to rise in prices of various commodities and fall in the number of cabs or bikes on roads. Students are the worst affected ones. They cannot afford to hire cabs or rapido, nor can they afford to miss their classes. Those at the helm of affairs need to do something tangible to do away with this problem.

Himadri Kalita,

Jalukbari, Guwahati

Pink bus service

Through your esteemed daily I would like to throw some light on the free 'Pink Bus' service launched in Guwahati under the 'Bhraman Sarathi' Scheme. This is a dedicated bus service launched by the Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) for the comfort and safety of women and senior citizens. Such buses are less in number and the target beneficiaries hardly get such buses on the road. Such buses don't stop at required bus stops. They also don't cover long distances, and drop commuters in between stops. The authority should see that some rules are followed for the fleet of pink buses so that the very purpose of the service is served.

Varsha Giri,

Department of Communication and Journalism, GU

Wary about second wave

We should be wary of the second wave of coronavirus. Most of government and private institutions have started functioning again. Herd immunity is a myth and these rumours are distracting people. The government has granted permission for gatherings in functions and other occasions, including election campaign, bike and bicycle rallies. Most people have stopped wearing masks in Assam. But I don't understand why are they inviting this life-threatening virus again? This is a matter of concern. The government should impose strict rules and limit people's gatherings. Vaccination is still out of reach for majority of the population. There should be regular checking at public places and transport. Entry at State borders should be keenly observed so that the rest of the States do not bear massive losses again.

Chandan Kumar Nath,

Sorbhog.

Sub-standard pitch

Over the years, many changes were incorporated in the truest form of cricket. Previously, there was a rest day in between in the middle of the test match but now that has been abolished. Likewise, 90 overs have been mandatory per day and also after 80 overs new ball is made available to the bowling side. These rules have made test cricket more result oriented. Now, international cricket is bracing for new concept of day and night test with the colour of the ball being changed to pink from red. In the current England tour of India, the third test match was a day and night affair which was staged in newly furnished Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad. Unfortunately the said test match was a poor advertisement of the test cricket as that test match was played in a sub-standard pitch. The match didn't even lasted for two full days and it became the shortest ever test match post WW2. The 22-yard strip is very important as good or decent strip delivers a fine balance between bat and ball. The strip used in pink ball test started to turn square from ball one which made the fast bowlers look like mere spectators in the game. The pitch was not even fit for club-level cricket as it favoured spin bowlers overwhelmingly. The curators of that pitch should take a leaf out of pitches in Lords, Oval, Eden Gardens, SCG, etc.

It is not important that how many spectators can the gallery holds but it is important that 22-yard wicket holds the game for five days.

Dr. Ashim Chowdhury,

Guwahati.

Paperless Budget

Through your esteemed daily I would like to show my sincere gratitude towards the Arunachal Government that announced that the annual budget of Arunachal Pradesh for the financial year 2021-22 is going to be complete paperless. Assembly Speaker Pasang Dorjee Sona said that the 2021-22 Arunachal Budget will be paperless, and there will be no booklet this time around unlike in the past and the members will be provided with soft copies (of the Budget). Going paperless by utilizing electronic document management systems helps reducing deforestation and pollution, by leaving more trees to do the work of absorbing carbon dioxide. Also apart from this, the spreading of coronavirus pandemic has also driven a renewed demand for avoiding paper. By going paperless it will actually be a help to eliminate one of the most common points of contact between people. Moreover, going paperless helps save our time and makes our work easier to access.

Protiva Bismith,

Guwahati.

The Secret of Sinauli

Apropos to the thought-provoking film review titled "The Secret of Sinauli" published on February 28, 2021 on The Sentinel 'Melange' by Ambar Chatterjee, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for the utmost satisfaction I gained after enjoying the masterstroke of words, being magically penned down to keep all readers' attention and enthusiasm till the last word. It is great to know the authentic history about the ancient India after the excavations being done at Sinauli, a village located 66 km away from Delhi, by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Neeraj Pandey's documentary "Secrets of Sinauli" (Discovery of the Century) would undoubtedly throw some light on the truths and myths about ancient Indian history.

Looking forward to read future film reviews by Ambar Chatterjee, based on honest research and in-depth analysis which make all readers enjoy this wonderful supplement every Sunday.

Jayanta Topadar,

Dhemaji