Letters to the Editor: A Plea for Accountability and Empathy

A plea for accountability and empathy

I write this letter with a heavy heart, reflecting on the recent tragedy along the ‘Ronganadi’ river. The incident has left us not only saddened but also deeply disturbed by the repeated human cost of our so-called development.

Who are those responsible for displacing people who slept peacefully, believing in the quiet rhythm of the river? In those modest houses too, electric lights glowed, and lamps of hope burnt bright. Yet, despite the glow of electricity, the walls of those homes have been broken — not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually.

We are living in an age of science and technology. But the use of technology must be guided by scientific temper, accountability, and empathy. Those responsible for power generation must not remain detached from the people living along the riverbanks. They must understand the river, its nature, its seasonal fury, and above all, the lives and livelihoods it sustains.

Technology, while capable of transforming lives, can also destroy them if not handled responsibly. Accidents may be a part of progress, but negligence is not. The burden of responsibility lies with those who manage and implement these technological ventures. Safety cannot be compromised. Public concerns must not be ignored in the name of progress.

There are countless reasons why we must be cautious about where and how we invest — not just financially, but ethically. The products of a development model that displaces the poor and disregards local ecology are not worth endorsing. This is not just about one incident — this is about a pattern that repeats across rivers, valleys, and lives. The tears of the victims of the Red River incident should awaken us to the need for a more humane and inclusive approach to development. Let us hope, sincerely, that such a tragedy never repeats. And let us also demand that those in positions of power and responsibility act with care, compassion, and commitment.

Mowsam Hazarika,

Guwahati

Tackling the city’s flooding and landslides

Just a few days back, many low-lying areas of Guwahati bore the brunt of flooding, while some foothill areas faced landslide hazards. Although these are recurring events during every rainy season, causing untold miseries to the people with heavy damage to property and often loss of life, this time, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) has come out with a strong direction to all the landslide-prone districts of the state to set up safe shelters for landslide-affected people in the state, which aims at reducing the possibility of life loss due to landslides, which we have come to learn through the editorial ‘Sustainable solution to Guwahati landslides’ published in your esteemed daily on June 3. Here we can mention some of the city’s worst landslide-affected areas, such as Nilachal, Narakashur, Hengrabari, Chunsali, Navagraha Hills, Kacharibasti, Mathgheria, Kamakhya, Odalbakra, Kahilipara, Kalapahar, Bhaskar Nagar, Sarania Hills, Santipur Pandu, etc. Today, both the hilly settlements and the valley population are subjected to these hazards. It is linked to an ever-growing population pressure and infrastructure development. Over the years, the city’s hillslopes have lost their natural stability from these settlements, besides losing the green safety cover that inhibits percolation of water into the loose soil. It is apparent that the issues of landslides, flash floods, shrinking wetlands and changing land use patterns are all interlinked. Now, what is a lasting solution? We want building bylaws integrated with the master plan and enforced strictly, ensuring no permission for construction in the hills, besides prohibiting filling of the wetlands and marshlands. There is a need for mandatory rainwater harvesting to be enforced in the existing households on slopes to check surface runoff from flowing down the slopes. We need to take up targeted increases of green cover in the hills through suitable plantation to prevent soil erosion and bioengineering practices for slope stabilisation. It is true that we cannot stop the flow of migrant population to the capital city. It would be a pragmatic approach if the authorities built affordable housing for the migrant population to prevent them from unauthorized construction on encroached patches of hills. At the same time, there is an immediate need to conduct a multi-department survey of the entire construction on the hills. The mantra ‘Act fast and act first’ is the need of the hour before it is too late.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati.

Youth and conscience

A young Indian-American student being barred from her graduation ceremony for speaking in support of Palestine raises serious concerns about the true state of free speech in the West> While democratic societies claim to uphold freedom of expression, punishing someone for standing with the oppressed shows a troubling double standard. Her voice reflects a generation that values justice over silence, even at personal cost. This incident highlights how political interests sometimes override basic human values, but it also reminds us that truth still lives in the courage of youth. Such voices must not be silenced; they are the hope for a fairer, more conscious world.

As'ad Kabir Nagari,

(subhanallah8948@gmail.com)