Letters to the Editor: Study rooms in college libraries

The first systematically organized library in the ancient Middle East was established in the 7th century BCE by Assyrian ruler Ashurbanipal in Nineveh, in contemporary Iraq. As on today, a library is the most essential hub for study and gaining knowledge of every kind. Nowadays, after the vast uses of technology, the concept of e-library has played an esteemed role to explore the world through various books which are not easily available at the tradi-tional libraries. I have personally visited many disting-uished libraries within the state of Assam, including Tezpur University Library, and seen that most of the libraries of higher educational institutions have the provision of separate study rooms with proper arrangements where books and other technical devices are allowed for study purposes. This provision helps students to utilize their off-time in libraries with their own choices. But there are many distinguished government colleges where the personal books are not allowed inside the study room. Many colleges do not have well-arranged study rooms. This happens because of lack of proper infrastructure and well-planned arrangements. It poses a big problem trouble for the students who want to utilize their time with their own studies in a library. So I urge the authorities of such colleges to expeditiously take necessary steps for provision of separate study rooms in the college libraries with proper scientific arrangement and facilities so as to make the libraries student-friendly in the days ahead.

Aditya Ankur Nath,

Tezpur.

GMC election

Finally, the much-talked-about GMC election is over. This GMC poll of 2022 is unique in one regard. Congress, a party which ruled the nation for seven decades and the State for three consecutive terms under Padma Vibhushan Late Tarun Gogoi, failed to open its account even though its president was contemplating declaring the names for the post of mayor and deputy mayor. At the same time, the AJP and AAP for the first time opened their account at the expense of the Congress. It was very amusing to note one Dulu Ahmed, a seasoned deserter and loser and an AJP worker, gloating before a local TV channel about its lone victory as if his party has won the GMC poll. While doing so, he must have forgotten about the crushing defeat he and his party faced during the last Assembly election. We, the bona fide Guwahatians, very much know about the demographic pattern of Ward No.1 and Ward No. 42. Victory in Ward No. 1 and 42 is very much like BJP and its allies winning from Baghbor, Chenga, Jonia, Mankachar, Dalgaon, Rupahihat, Dhubri, Kharupetia, Barpeta in Assembly and parliamentary elections.

For people like Dulu Ahmed, one day's sunshine does not mean summer.

Dr Ashim Chowdhury,

Guwahati.

GMC poll results and people

It was anticipated that the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) poll 2022 would be a cakewalk for the BJP-AGP alliance. But the alliance winning 58 seats out of 60 seats sans only two seats going to Opposition - one each to AJP and newly participant AAP - was startling. The fact that Congress won not a single seat foretells a question mark on its electoral prospects in the State in future. The Opposition-less polity is not beneficial for healthy functioning of democratic institutions. Such a state of affairs breeds ego and arrogance in the dominating party, which was noticed in the case of the BJP candidate in our ward who had a very expensive and noisy campaign on the streets and won the seat. But the Opposition candidate did door-to-door campaign in the ward, which is but right in a small corporation constituency. Riding high on its impressive success-trail in all the elections starting with the Lok Sabha polls 2014 onwards, it can be imagined that the BJP also conducted gorgeous campaign in other wards too.

The local-self Government has evolved in our country in the spirit of an honorary service. That is why, the local councilors do not get paid any salary but receive allowance as well as telephone and other office expenses for the period they perform civic duties. Ironically, the elected councillor who did not show up in the campaign has kept the residents in doubt about his sincere service to the people to mitigate their local distress. The popular belief is that the party-less elections to local-self bodies will be a meaningful strategy for the local-self institution to function effectively.

Pannalal Dey,

Guwahati.

Dubious hope

One is unable to understand how Prashant Kishor, a wily self-serving election consultant, expected that he will become the saviour of the Indian National Congress – the 137-year-old party that had led India's freedom struggle and governed the country for over 60 years? How does he expect that he will work only if he is given absolute power by the party, an impossible proposition for an established party? Naturally, the Congress leadership rightly did offer to include Prashant in the Empowered Action Group (EAG) for 2024 along with senior leaders, but made it clear that they didn't envisage any leadership role for the consultant at this stage. Denied a free hand, Prashant rejected the offer to join Congress, and wrote in his first reaction on Twitter, "I declined the generous offer of Congress to join the party as part of the EAG and take responsibility for the elections." He even added, "In my humble opinion, more than me, the party needs leadership and collective will to fix the deep-rooted structural problems through transformational reforms." Now it seems, all that has happened so far was just media speculation. Why would an election strategist like Prashant join any political party, particularly after his miserable experience with Nitish Kumar? Prashant is essentially a consulting businessman and is very successful at that. Starting with Narendra Modi's BJP, the Telangana Chief Minister Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao's Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is a better choice than Congress! The chances of TRS winning in Telangana is far higher than the Congress, because a regional party like TRS is a better business proposition as Prashant need not become a member of TRS. Moreover, if Prashant becomes a member of the Congress, not only will his fees be diluted, but his chances of winning are also questionable.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee,

Faridabad – 121005.