Tragedy of Chowk Bazar: Letters to the Editor

The Chowk Bazar of Tezpur is one of the oldest and renowned heritage markets of the entire Assam. This market has a unique structure that is acknowledged by the outsiders of the state also. It was the only hope and source of living for thousands of shopkeepers and their families. But on the 9th of May at midnight, the whole market area suddenly became a fireball. A devastating fire burnt every people's heart, including the shopkeepers giving them unlimited woes. Everything turned into ashes in front of their eyes. The government and some NGOs came forward extending their helping hands and took immediate steps to provide every kind of financial help and relief towards the victims. The government has given Rs 25,000 each as compensation to 205 shopkeepers. But the shopkeepers want a permanent solution for the security of their age-old traditional profession and the life and limbs of their families. A shopkeeper who suffered from high blood pressure died just after this incident. As a mark of good gesture, the government also started a temporary building as a market complex for the victims. But now it has stopped for some invisible causes bringing uncertainty to their future again.

I urge the government to build the market complex as soon so possible.

Aditya Ankur Nath,

Tezpur

Game on

USA President Joe Biden has urged California Court to clear the extradition process of Pakistani origin Canadian Tahawwar Hussain to India for his role in planning the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. This is a piece of good news for all the patriotic Indians and at the same time give sleepless nights to the sleeper cells of ISI and other anti-India forces residing in the country. If the dreaded terrorist is extradited many inputs can be obtained from him and will also expose the traitors inside the country. His inputs can reveal more details about the terrorists like who aided the butchers in procuring Hindu name IDs, who provided them with the sacred red thread on their wrists, etc. The whole plan was to paint the attack as the handiwork of 'Saffron terrorists'. It was only due to fearless Police Constable Tukaram Omble who caught alive Ajmal Kasab. The mastermind of the attack wanted all the terrorists to be killed but thanks to our brave security personnel like Omble the world came to know that Ajmal Kasab was given the Hindu name of Sameer Choudhury. The Central Government of that time had already made elaborate plans to defame Hindu organizations like VHP, RSS, etc for the attack.

Julie Bhuyan,

Gaurisagar.

Sporting nation

Sporting is one of the constituents of being a superpower nation. Sporting is a potential soft power for a country like India. As India is one of the youngest nations on Earth, it is pertinent that our youths opt for sports to remain physically fit and healthy as well as propel our nation into a sporting nation. The Sports Authority of India, I guess is at the right track in talent search particularly from interior regions of our country and facilitating and preparing them to perform at the highest level. The number of players winning medals abroad who are trained under the Sports Authority of India is increasing at the moment. This is truly one of the positive endeavours of uplifting India into a sporting nation.

Phanseng Singphoo,

Jorhat.

Why double

standard?

On Holi and Diwali, the PETA people and the entire Bollywood brigade wake up suddenly to advise the countrymen not to use colour and burst firecrackers. They say lightings diyas cause pollution and it is wastage of oil. The whole gang show immense concern for the environment but the same gang is mute during New Year's Eve celebration, Christmas and Eid Ul Azha. It is as if the whole gang becomes deaf, blind and mute.

We all should be responsible for the protection of the beautiful earth and the environment but why do they always blame a particular religion for environmental pollution? Aren't the bursting of crackers during New Year's Eve and Christmas contribute to global pollution? Is Eid Ul Azha not responsible for cruelty towards the animals? Cruelty towards the animal in any form is condemnable, but PETA and reel artistes only project one side of the story.

Dhiman Senchowa,

North Lakhimpur.

How to keep police personnel fit

Through the columns of your esteemed daily, I would like to share my suggestions for the Assam Police.

Recently, the honourable Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Bishwa Sarma had a conference addressing the officers in charge of different police stations across the state. Different points such as no political interference directed the police department to file a change shit for all murder, rape, drugs and arms cases etc. within six months, the public should feel comfortable around them. CM also ensures zero tolerance towards rapists. Rs 2.5 lakh will be funded to every police station annually as a contingency. Health check-ups for police personnel every two weeks and many other points to make the force more effective and public friendly. He suggested the police personnel take care of themselves and their fitness. Here is my suggestion for the CM and the Police department. Every police station should have a gym on the premises. This would be effective as it would save time and motivate the police to work out when they see the gym. Apart from their physical fitness, it would also help them reduce stress as exercising makes one happy. Secondly, a fitter police force will be a more efficient and effective police force in all aspects.

I hope this letter reaches the right person through this newspaper. If it happens, the Assam Police can set an example for the entire country. This could also be a mega example of the Prime Minister's 'Fit India Movement

Joy Boruah,

Cotton University, Guwahati.

Boundary disputes

Assam is still witnessing problems that arose because of the hasty separation of the three states of Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram from it. Border conflicts still plague the land of blue hills and the red river. Many border commissions were created to solve the border scuffles with these carved out states but to no avail as they have rejected the recommendations of the panels outright. The states do not want a third party, i.e. the Centre or a commission created by the Centre to mediate for them. They want Assam to sit with them and come up with amicable solutions. But Assam is not showing any interest in sitting with these states. Assam has always tried to involve the Centre which these states are dead against. The Centre which has always treated the Northeast as an outcast state is not familiar with the tribal aspirations of this region. Assam, on the other hand, shares the same aspirations of these states. It is time to find a permanent solution to the border conflict in the Northeast as it would not only lead to peaceful relations between various states involved but looking at the bigger picture, it would act as an important juncture for India's 'Act East Policy' owing to the proximity of this region to the ASEAN countries. Also solving the border issues will be a blow to China as it is cashing on the differences among north-eastern states. I urge the Chief Minister of Assam through your esteemed daily to come to the table for discussion with these states and work out amicable solutions and should be ready in case of some give and take.

Noopur Baruah,

Tezpur

Normalize part-time

jobs for students

Through your esteemed newspaper, I would like to draw the kind attention of the students regarding the normalizing of part-time jobs for them. It is normal for college students to run after cash and having a part-time job while enrolling in college. You can earn extra pocket money, being a student usually means little or no money but when you are working part-time you no longer have to worry about being able to afford the essentials or relying on your parents to get by. The additional money teaches you early on how to manage and save your money so you can be financially independent later on in life.

A part-time job can give you that much-needed experience in your field. Even that part-time job can help you find something better once you graduate.

There's a saying "something is better than nothing". Students should understand the meaning of this line at an early age and utilize it in their life and look forward to financial independence. I believe you would consider giving a column of your newspaper to issue this information so that it would reach and encourage the students of our state.

Bineet Bishal Borthakur

(bineetborthakur@gmail.com)

Importance of

good health

Good health is central to human happiness and well-being that contributes significantly to prosperity and wealth and even economic progress, as healthy populations are more productive and they live longer.

For a healthy lifecycle, you need a healthy and balanced diet, good hygiene habits, staying in a proper shelter and getting enough sleep.

In addition, you will have to participate in physical activities, weight management, and stress management activities.

Health can be defined as a state of complete physical, mental, social and spiritual well being, which consists of maintaining the body as much as possible by following daily advice and preventive measures to reduce the possibility of diseases.

Health has an important role in feeling happy, as many people suffer from diseases, but health enables them to fight diseases, as a result, they achieve physical fitness and feel comfortable or enjoy life like any normal person.

Health is the body's functional and metabolic efficiency, and its ability to adapt to the physical, mental, and social changes that it is exposed to.

Health is the opposite of disease, and also means the safety of the body from physical, social, and mental disorders.

Health is the factor that helps a person correctly perform his daily life tasks.

A person's physical health means that the body does not have any diseases in all parts of his body, and the safety of all its membranes.

While mental and social health is represented by the ability of a person to accomplish social tasks entrusted to him without defect or error.

How can you achieve good health and well being?

The following ways can help you achieve good health and well-being:

Eat healthy meals:

What you eat is closely related to your health. Eating a healthy diet can help boost your immune systems, help you maintain a healthy weight and can improve your overall health.

Add more fruits and vegetables to your diet:

Include fruits, vegetables, grain products, leafy greens, salmon, etc. in your diet. Adding fruits and vegetables is an ideal basis to start a healthy routine.

Drink a lot of water:

Drinking a lot of water keeps muscles and joints working, increases the amount of water in your blood, promotes healthy skin and cardiovascular health and helps cleanse toxins from your body.

You can save a lot of money and improve your health by drinking water all day.

Get regular exercise:

Do a moderate workout for at least 30 minutes a day, as exercise can help prevent heart disease, stroke, colon cancer, and diabetes.

Manish Kashyap,

Tezpur

Climate change

As parts of western Germany and Belgium were devastated by floods following intense rainfall last week, climate change caused by global warming is being pointed to as the definitive cause. While over 200 people lost their lives in the two countries, over 1,300 people are still missing in the Ahrwhelier district of Rhineland-Palatinate alone even as two dams were on the verge of being overwhelmed. There were similar unprecedented rainfall events in London as well as in some parts of the Netherlands, France and Switzerland. Many areas of western Europe may have received up to two months of rainfall in the space of just two days with disastrous consequences as rivers swelled and dams filled to the brim and cave-ins abounded. Climate experts know these extreme weather events in Europe are being caused by a warning continent with 2020 having been Europe's hottest year since records began. Eight of the 10 hottest years have been in the 2010s. As warm air can hold more water, it leads to continuous and highly concentrated downpours. With an interlocking weather system keeping some of these vortexes stationary, rainfall can become very intense in micro areas. The monsoon rain patterns may be somewhat more predictable in India but here too we see the damage being wreaked by intense rain spells concentrated in a few areas. As the weather parts of the world begin to realize the magnitude of climate change in heatwaves and rain, India has to lot to do in preparation to tackle floods with pathways and drains cleared for safer passage of water and structures housing people strengthened.

Chandan Kumar Nath,

Sorbhog

Printing of

one-rupee notes

Printing of one-rupee notes continues after these were re-issued on 06.03.2015 after their discontinuing to be printed decades back because of low life and high printing cost with coins of this denomination having attained popularity at that time. With the lapse of time and fall in the value of money, even coins of rupee one denomination are losing utility as may be evident from mint-orders issued by the Government of India for minting one-rupee coins.

The one-rupee note was re-issued on 06.03.2015 perhaps for the bureaucratic craze of signing currency-notes because the only one-rupee note is signed by a Secretary-rank officer of the Government of India while notes of rest other denominations including since-discontinued notes of rupees 2 and 5, this being the reason that notes in denominations of rupees 2 and 5 were not re-issued after being discontinued to be printed.

It is an admitted fact that re-issued one-rupee notes never came in actual circulation, and its packs of 100 are mostly available at a heavy premium multiple times the face value of the pack. The system should be that either note or coin may be issued in any of the denominations. Moreover, guidelines should be changed so that one-rupee notes may also bear the signature of RBI Governor to avoid huge wastage of public money on printing one-rupee notes only because of the bureaucratic craze of printing signature of Secretary-rank officer of the Government of India on these notes. The existing stock of one-rupee notes can be sold as souvenir-item attractive plastic packs at a premium for benefit of coin-collectors.

Madhu Agrwal,

Delhi