Letters to The EDITOR: From defiance to debacle

From defiance to debacle

Hardly anyone would disagree that Mamata Banerjee remained the most combative leader who changed the perception and position of female politicians in India, where political authority has long been dominated by male personalities. At some points her obduracy surpassed even the most aggressive leaders of the nation. It cannot be repudiated that she is a self-made politician who rose from the ground without any family backing and stood as a force that thwarted the entry of any other political ideology in Bengal for long. But in politics, defiance alone does not guarantee victories and continuance in power unless it is justified. Over time she turned into a populist face who relied heavily on rhetoric. Under her, statecraft later changed from a pragmatic approach to adopting dialogues for managing issues that required strict administrative intervention and government policy measures. Her pro-poor image later got marred when charges of rampant corruption in the system were blatantly overlooked. Loyalty fatigue grew further when her strategy to consolidate the marginal section only through delivery of welfare benefits was later deemed an obstruction in the path of development. Rather building the  narrative through the  assurance of sustainable incomes, government jobs and industrial progress, she spent major portion of the election campaigns delivering philippics against the BJP government and accusing the SIR. Her argument in the SC personally gained significant symbolism but was not strong enough to bring a clear mandate for her party. On the other hand, the BJP worked to address the growing discontent of the people over matters like infiltration, unemployment, and poor law and order through the promise of security, development, jobs, and the eradication of hooliganism. The debacle of TMC in the assembly polls cannot be attributed to the anti-incumbency factor alone, it is also due to an inflexible attitude that failed to understand the changing public demands and acknowledge the declining party image somewhere.

Kabir Ahmed Saikia

Rajabari, Jorhat

Covering of open drains

The news article 'HC orders immediate covering of open drains, seeks report on May 12', which was published in your esteemed daily on May 7, has drawn our sharp attention. The Gauhati High Court’s directive to all stakeholders, including GMC, to take urgent protective measures for covering open manholes, drains and hazardous sewer channels across the city must be appreciated. The open drains pose a grave threat to everyone. Especially during the rainy season, they become submerged and invisible, increasing the risk to citizens' movement on waterlogged streets and roads. Needless to say, every monsoon season the city witnesses many unfortunate incidents when common people become victims after falling into uncovered drains and manholes, thereby underscoring the seriousness of the issue. Moreover, open drains are a hazard. It has a foul smell; by that, they cause air pollution. Mosquitoes and flies breed in the dirty water of open drains. Lastly, we are infected with water-borne diseases such as cholera, typhoid and diarrhoea as open drains infect clean water. No doubt, open drains are a concern. It is, therefore, considered unhygienic. The system continues to be one of the challenges that need urgent addressing. Merely covering open drains is not the end of the problem. At the same time, we have to undertake scientific methods of drain clean-up. Here we can suggest bioremediation clean-up methods, as they are non-toxic, cost-efficient and zero chemicals while helping remove sludge and odour from drains. Moreover, it is an environmentally friendly solution.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati.

Leopard safari parks

There are approximately 14,000 leopards in the country, with Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra leading the way in that order. Human-leopard conflicts are becoming extremely common. Augmented incidents of leopards straying into human settlements have propelled governments of these two states to spring into action. In a novel push to promote the ecosystem and contain man-leopard conflict, the Maharashtra government has proposed to develop a ‘leopard safari park’ near Nashik.  Two locations ranging from 150 hectares to 5,000 hectares of land have been identified, according to the government. India has no dedicated safari parks for leopards, barring a few leopard-focused areas in Jaipur. Leopard safari parks will help advance habitat enlargement, simultaneously providing a massive boost to animal health. Tourism can thrive, and, very importantly, man-leopard conflicts could wane, although meticulous planning and infusing heightened awareness among the people in the adjoining villages are very crucial.

Dr Ganapathi Bhat

(gbhat13@gmail.com)