Letters to the Editor: High Cost of Mass Communication Courses

High cost of Mass Communication courses

Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I would like to draw the attention of the concerned authorities and the general public towards the pressing issue of the high fee structure of self-financing courses in Mass Communication and Journalism in Assam, particularly in Guwahati.

Despite the growing interest and career opportunities in the field of media and communication, Assam still lacks adequate public institutions offering affordable education in this discipline. At the undergraduate level, only two universities—Bhattadev University and Cotton University—currently offer Mass Communication as a course. While PG courses are available at a few more universities across the state, most of them are self-financed, with very high fees that make it difficult for many academically qualified but economically weaker students to afford admission.

This situation is deeply unfortunate in a state like Assam, where a large section of the student population comes from rural or financially modest backgrounds. Education, especially in a democratic and information-driven society, should be a right, not a privilege for those who can afford it. The lack of affordable Mass Communication and Journalism programs not only limits opportunities for aspiring media professionals but also indirectly impacts the diversity and inclusivity of voices in Assam's media landscape.

I urge the concerned educational bodies, the state government, and university authorities to take immediate steps to introduce more government-funded or subsidised courses in Mass Communication at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Financial aid or scholarship schemes must also be expanded to support deserving students.

Let Assam not lose out on nurturing future journalists, filmmakers, content creators, and media thinkers due to financial constraints.

Dikshita Rajbongshi

(rajbongshidikshita02@gmail.com)

Focus on ‘land- hungry’

There is nothing to doubt that all of Assam is in the inextricable grip of land encroachment, particularly by the land-hungry suspected Bangladeshis who fall on any kind of vacant land like the vultures on a corpse, leaving nothing and swallowing everything. Few realised earlier, but now the present BJP-led state government has realised deeply that if the trends of organised encroachment on land by these unwanted guests are not stopped immediately, then the time is not far when the very identity of Assam, let alone the land rights of the indigenous people of the state, will be extinguished. Therefore, the recent statement of the CM that 'I am addictively committed to handing over encroached land to the people' is indeed praiseworthy. It is now a 'better late than never' situation. The British colonial policy was responsible for declaring vacant land in Assam as wasteland, which led to the whole story of a serious threat to Assam's demography. The editorial 'Focus on land', published in your esteemed daily on June 29, has helped us to get to know that the government had freed sizable tracts of land originally belonging to the different Xatra institutions from the immigrants who scared away the indigenous and ethnic communities from their ancestral lands by adopting a strategy of intimidation. The situation has become such that the large-scale immigration has taken Assam's population density to much above the national average. While protecting the land of indigenous people is the moral responsibility of the state government, the best use of the land being freed from encroachers in the infrastructure projects and in favour of educational, religious and socio-cultural institutions is equally important. The state government's launching a massive policy of eviction of encroached land across the state must be supported by a holistic plan for the all-round development of the state and welfare for the people of Assam.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati.

Gas Blowout: Negligence Repeating Itself?

The recent gas blowout at an ONGC-owned rig in Sivasagar district, Assam, has once again drawn attention to the fragile balance between industrial activity and environmental safety in the Northeast. Since June 12, natural gas had been leaking uncontrollably from Well RDS #147A. Despite ONGC’s efforts, including the engagement of global experts from CUDD Pressure Control, the leak remained uncapped for a long time, causing mounting concern among residents and environmentalists alike.

This incident comes just five years after the catastrophic Baghjan blowout in Tinsukia, which displaced hundreds and devastated local ecosystems. Although the current crisis is less dramatic in visual scale, its potential consequences—air pollution, groundwater contamination, risk of ignition, and long-term ecological damage—are no less serious. Locals report breathing discomfort, crop damage, and a pervasive fear of escalation.

The repeated occurrence of such disasters exposes glaring lapses in safety compliance and emergency preparedness. ONGC has claimed to be making steady progress, including the removal of tubing and preparation for installing a capping stack. However, questions remain: Why did the blowout happen in the first place? Were risk assessments conducted rigorously? And, most importantly, what steps are being taken to prevent future incidents?

Assam’s oil-rich regions have historically suffered from underinvestment in disaster mitigation. While the state contributes significantly to India’s energy needs, its citizens continue to pay the price in terms of health hazards, environmental degradation, and disrupted livelihoods.

This blowout must serve as more than just another statistic in India's industrial accident records. It is a call for systemic overhaul—stricter regulatory mechanisms, transparent public communication, and ecological accountability. Anything less would be an injustice to the people of Assam and a betrayal of our commitment to sustainable development.

Atreya Kakati

(atreyakakati45773@gmail.com)