Letters to the EDITOR: Cup of tea now costlier than 1GB Data

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Cup of tea now costlier than 1GB Data

I wish to celebrate PM Modi's remarkable announcement at the India Mobile Congress 2025: 1GB of data now costs just Rs 10, making it cheaper than a cup of tea. This landmark achievement represents a historic step toward digital democratisation in our nation.

While this pricing breakthrough is commendable, we must ensure these rates remain sustainable and that telecom operators continue this trajectory of affordability. Internet access is now truly within reach for millions of students and low-income families—a turning point for digital inclusion and national progress.

I urge all stakeholders to maintain this momentum: telecom companies should sustain competitive pricing, the government should uphold these standards, and citizens should embrace digital opportunities. With data now accessible to all, our nation can unlock tremendous potential for e-learning, digital literacy, and economic growth.

The time to act is now.

Altaf Hussain

Guwahati

Wetland reservoirs: A ray of hope

At a time when the state's major wetlands have been shrinking alarmingly, the Central Government's approval of the first-phase fund of Rs 692 crore for expansion of 400-odd reservoirs across the state has delighted everyone. The stated objective behind the move is to divert the floodwaters of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries to the expanded wetlands. The multi-crore project is expected to create a conducive environment for aquaculture, apart from other avenues of rural livelihood. Before the project implementation, there is a need for scientific study and stringent protocol of transparency and accountability, as it involves thousands of crores of public money. Once the reservoirs are completed, it is imperative to watch the development keenly, as the Brahmaputra carries an enormous amount of sediment in the process, raising the riverbed and widening its channel. Now, the key question is whether the digging of large-scale earthwork will disrupt the river's natural course and harm aquatic ecology. Therefore, one feels the need for effective engineering intervention, ecological solutions and community preparedness to make the upcoming project result-orientated.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati

Firecracker hazard on the rise

An explosion in a firecracker manufacturing unit in V Savaram village of Andhra Pradesh's Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema district on Wednesday killed seven workers and left more than ten injured.  Improper mixing of chemical ingredients for manufacturing crackers is said to be the reason for the blast.  However, cracker industries have become notorious for fire tragedies, especially in Tamil Nadu.  Despite countless employees losing their lives in the last two decades, not much seems to have been done to enforce safety measures in the southern states that manufacture nearly one hundred per cent of the country's firecrackers. Absent or expired licences, premises that run without valid permission, failure to adhere to fire safety standards, inadequate training for workers, improper procedures in preparing firecrackers and, of course, lax law and regulatory implementation have badly hit the firecracker units.  Erring firecracker companies have to be closed down.  The Factories Act, 1948, needs a relook to give it more teeth.

Dr Ganapathi Bhat

(gbhat13@gmail.com)

Special room in jail for consultation

Through the columns of your esteemed daily, I am compelled to draw the attention of the Superintendent of Central Jail, Guwahati, to an issue striking at the heart of constitutional safeguards of any accused incarcerated in jail. The accused has, as a matter of right, the entitlement to confer freely with engaged counsel and present the factual substratum of his defence to such counsel. Such consultation cannot be reduced to formality amidst noisy, congested spaces meant for family visitation. What is needed is an insulated room within the jail premises dedicated to counsel–client interaction, for this alone meets the constitutional command of fair hearing and due process. The advocate has to be shown respect by the lower rung of jail officials, as they are the officer of the court as well as judicial administration, and a directive must be issued from the superintendent to the subordinate officials to respect them as and whenever they visit the jail premises. I further appeal to the Home Department to construct a special room for the inclusive interaction for the accused as well as the engaged counsel.

Shahin Yusuf

(i.am.shahin18.sy@gmail.com)

Baptism by fire

Team India will be on a Down Under tour in a few days to take part in three ODIs and five T20 matches. Except for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the majority will be undertaking the trip for the first time of their cricketing career for limited-over matches. This tour will be so vital for the veteran duo of batters, as their wish to be part of the 2027 ODI World Cup squad purely hangs by a thread. In Australia everyone will earn their wickets and the runs by their sheer effort. The level of cricket is very high and competitive. All our young cricketers touring Australia for the first time will be baptized by fire. I wish them well.

Dr. Ashim Chowdhury,

Guwahati.