Letters to the Editor: Special thanks to CM

It's a matter of delight for the people of Kaliapani under Morioni constituency that Assam Government has decided to establish the proposed Jorhat Law College at Kaliapani. This will be one of the ten proposed law colleges the new government has decided to set up in Assam.

Himanta Bishwa Sarma is the most efficient political leader in the state. After taking over the charge of Chief Minister, he left no stone unturned to bring an all-around development in the state. Every nook and corner of the state has been given equal importance, which is truly welcoming. Many departments, which seemed to be lazy in previous years, are seen working effectively. The dynamism, Honourable Chief Minister has brought in various departments within a short period, is indeed welcoming.

However, the proposed law college at Kaliapani has brought a smile to the people of greater Kaliapani as it is going to create many prospects in the region.

Kaliapani has been a place of high prospect for a long. But as the Kaliapani farm lost its earlier charm and rhythm, and the Kaliapani Feed Milk Project became dead before its starts, people were very upset and disappointed. There was a time when Kaliapani Dairy Farm had a special identity. It was able to fulfil the high demand for milk in the entire locality. The Kaliapani Feed Milk Project which was established under DSD Milk Producers' Cooperative Union at Kaliapani under Teok Revenue circle in the year 1984 is today in an abandoned and dilapidated state. People had high expectations for this project. But, unfortunately, previous governments paid no heed to revive this project. If this magnificent project can also be restarted, it will indeed be a great achievement for the new government and a blessing for the people of Kaliapani. We are optimistic that Kaliapani will revive once again under the dynamic leadership of our Chief Minister. We, all the people of Kaliapani under Morioni constituency, would like to thank honourable Chief Minister Himanta Bishwa Sarma and Rupjyoti Kurmi, ex MLA, Morioni for their effort to revive Kaliapani once again. The people of Kaliapani are eagerly waiting to extend their helping hand to make all these projects of the government a grand success.

Basanta Baruah,

Kaliapani, Jorhat.

Ferry tragedy

Water mishap is a common phenomenon in a riparian state like Assam where the responsible department is simply a white elephant. The recent ferry tragedy in Nimatighat has unveiled the dangerous and careless mentality of some officials of the Inland Water Transport Department. People have been ferrying without any safety measures. Vessels get operated without following the safety guidelines. The over-loaded country boats are ferrying passengers without lifejackets/lifebuoys etc. The Nimatighat tragedy is not the first water mishap in the state's history. Many people have already lost their precious lives due to the negligence of the authority. It is seen that just after every ferry tragedy the State Government used to review the safety measure vis-à-vis announces necessary inquiry as a sign of quick response to draw the public attention or to douse the fire of resentment of the common people. But such actions invariably lose steam after some time in the absence of a lack of regular monitoring and system back to square one.

It is clear from media coverage that the IWT Department still has miles to go to cope up with efficiency, professionalism, transparency and accountability. IWT's inept handling of scientific safety protocols triggers water tragedy that brings the bleak future over many families. It may be a matter of homicide. Responsible officials must get prosecuted. On the other hand, every passenger should also follow safety procedures before stepping into a ferry/boat. Most of the regular ferry passengers do not know how to swim than also they do not follow the safety protocols; such an audacious act should not be welcomed. Every passenger should be cautious as lives cannot be compensated at any cost. Fortunately, the Chief Minister of Assam has been reviewing the functions of IWT departments to make them efficient and accountable, subsequently, NGOs or welfare committees of the state should come forward to accelerate the matter. They should organize swimming training camps at least for the riparian people (regular ferry passengers) so that they can survive during the distress time? We hope that Nimatghat's mishap may be marked as the last ferry tragedy in the state.

Mintu Sarma,

Ranigate