Letters to THE EDITOR

Roadside dumping grounds

Through your esteemed daily, I would like to draw the attention towards the roadside dumping grounds and GMC-provided dustbins, which catch my attention almost every day now.

There are several roadside dumping grounds and foul-smelling streets all over Guwahati. These dumping grounds remain mucky with all kinds of biodegradable and non-biodegradable garbage dumped by people either residing in or passing by a particular area. Some of these places have huge GMC dustbins which are mostly piled with waste items and are not well-maintained. The unorganized usage of such public dustbins leads to a formation of roadside dumping grounds. Two such examples of dumping grounds can be seen in Panbazar and Fancy Bazar. The dumping ground in Panbazar region, within the radius of 50-60 metres from MMC Hospital, has GMC dustbins that remain uncovered and exposed. The heaps of garbage in and outside these dustbins make the road malodorous to even pass by. On the other hand, Fancy Bazar dumping ground (nearby Jail Road) has a likely scene as Panbazar. The people most affected by these unhygienic areas are the homeless people who are exposed to several harmful diseases.

The piles of garbage in public areas are noxious. Moreover, these places are a disgrace to our city as we have tourists and visitors from different States who might find it unpleasant. Therefore, the government must take necessary actions to keep a check on these dumping grounds. The dustbins provided by the GMC must be covered to prevent the fetid trash. There must be regular check on the maintenance and cleansing of these areas by the GMC to keep the city clean, healthy and hygienic.

Tanisha Tasneen,

Guwahati

Are they feigning?

The election fever has gripped the entire State and the electoral pitch is fully ready. The political parties are trading charges against each other in public or party meetings, press conferences, talk shows in TVs. The Opposition parties' allegations regarding zero development in the last 5 year tenure cannot be accepted. Even the severest of the critics would admit that State saw rapid development during the NDA rule in last five years in health, education, communication, industry, etc. Of course there are certain grey areas which needed attention but the government sat idle. One can awake a person who is actually sleeping but it is impossible to awake when he/she is feigning. For people like Ripun Bora, Badruddin Azmal, Ajit Bhuyan, Hiren Gohain and company, we the electorates are the best arbiter in this regard.

Lanu Dutta Chowdhury,

Guwahati.

Boosting education

The decision to set up the Delhi Board of School Education is a welcome move. This Board will function in close alignment with national and international boards. It would be assigned to build world-class educational practices that will enable the shift in teaching and learning practices across Delhi. The age-old practice of learning will be replaced with application-based learning and assessment. The Board will ensure that each student's talent is harnessed, and they apply what they learn. The governing body will include education officials, experts from higher education, principals from government and private schools, teachers, and parents. Hope that the Board should empower students to stand on their own feet and prepare to take responsibility for their country beyond all religion, caste, and class differences. This is the need of the hour.

Amit Singh Kushwaha,

Satna (M.P.)

Lack of teachers

In your esteemed daily, I have seen a piece of news about the lack of teachers in Raushanpur ME School which falls under the Sonai education circle. There is only one teacher for 145 students. Recently the Education Minister stated that many teachers would be appointed for primary schools.

Lack of faculty members will not only affect the students' education but also their motivation to come to school. The president of the managing committee of the school, Nur Uddin Ahmed told the media as to how desperately they need teachers for the students. Students also came to the door of the Deputy Commissioner of Cachar to highlight their situation.

Therefore, I request the authority concerned to look into the matter as children are the future of a better tomorrow and the lack of teachers would impact their learning process.

Nabamallika Bordoloi,

nabamallikabordoloi564@gmail.com

Vaccine programme

It is welcome to know that India has taken a positive step to prevent coronavirus through the new immunization programme. The government has mandated senior citizens aged over 60 to register either in the COWIN portal or the Arogya Setu app to seek an appointment at the nearest hospital. The registration on the COWIN portal and the Arogya Setu app is otherwise a simple process requiring a person to register with mobile phone-based OTP. The user is then directed to select appointment dates and hospitals based on regions or pin code.

However, not many citizens are aware as to which hospitals provide the vaccination. Thus there is now an urgent need to publish the list of both private and government hospitals administering the vaccine in leading national and vernacular newspapers. The information will help to ensure the senior citizens choose the nearest hospital for immunization in a hassle-free manner.

The government thus should take proactive steps to publish the list of hospitals even through various digital and social media platforms so as to reach all the targeted audience. It should also publish the list in the Press Information Bureau portal through an online press release to disseminate the required information to the citizens.

Varun Dambal,

Bangalore.

Denial of party ticket to Prafulla Mahanta

Asom Gana Parishad has denied party ticket to Prafulla Kumar Mahanta. He being one of the founding fathers of the AGP should deserve due respect from the current leaders of the party. Mahanta has been a critic of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act while the top leaders of the AGP support the Act. By opposing the CAA, Mahanta has earned enough appreciation from the indigenous people of Assam. The indigenous people will be opposing the political parties that support the contentious Act. As AGP supports the CAA, it will never get support from the indigenous people of Assam.

Maheswar Deka,

Rangia.

Regulating social media

The government has done well to regulate social media. Some sites have vulgar content. Smartphones for online learning can be misused by youngsters. Unfortunately, TV channels, too sometimes air objectionable content, unsuitable for young minds. Any talk of a dress code for women is resented. What all can the government control? Self regulation is the key that seems to be missing nowadays.

Chandan Kumar Nath,

Sorbhog.