Letters to the EDITOR: Pedestrian-friendly footpaths: A basic right

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Pedestrian-friendly footpaths: A basic right 

The state capital Guwahati has gradually turned into a vibrant metropolis and a hub of Southeast Asia. The government takes every opportunity to trumpet the city’s development. But a ham-handed approach ignoring one of the basics – proper footpaths, which remain unfit for pedestrians – will lead us nowhere. Your esteemed daily’s May 16 editorial, ‘Pedestrians right-of-way on footpaths’, has rightly dealt with the timely issue, highlighting the Supreme Court’s directive and two-month deadline for all states and Union Territories to frame comprehensive guidelines on footpaths to ensure proper footpaths for pedestrians. Like every growing Indian city, Guwahati has two major problems in common: traffic jams and footpaths. The editorial has said that unauthorized encroachment by street vendors; shops along the roadside; water pipelines to households crossing over footpaths; construction of raised concrete entrances to campuses by raising the plinth areas much higher than the road surface; plying and parking of two-wheelers, etc., have not only cramped the space on the footpaths but also compelled the public to use and prefer to walk on the road, which increases the accident risk for foot users from vehicles hitting them. It is not understood how it could be possible for the building owners to raise the plinth level at their whims and fancies, violating building construction bye-laws, when we have Guwahati Municipal Corporation and Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority to enforce the maximum plinth height in different localities in the city? The unplanned raising of road and footpath heights has made them completely unfriendly to people, including the disabled. We need a detailed survey of residential, commercial and government buildings to make necessary amendments in building construction bye-laws and explore groundbreaking retrofitting solutions to address the issues of pedestrians’ safety. Effective collaboration of civic authorities and communities is vital to improve footpaths in the cities and towns across the state to create dedicated footpaths to enhance urban mobility efficiently. Ensuring obstruction-free footpaths is an integral part of urban planning and a basic right of the pedestrians. No doubt, the SC directive will act as a powerful weapon to make cities and towns across the country mess-free and pedestrian friendly in the near future.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati

Ace player 

Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 100 international centuries is a monumental achievement. There are very few players who have the potential to challenge it. Virat Kohli was frequently mentioned as a potential challenger. Some believe he has the necessary talent, fitness, and mental strength to achieve such a feat. Others, like the former Australian captain, Ricky Ponting, had also stated that Kohli has the potential to break Tendulkar’s one-day international record. This is because Kohli is widely regarded as one of the best batsmen in the world, possessing exceptional tech­nical skills and a strong und­erstanding of the game. His dedication to fitness and his ability to maintain a high level of performance are also admirable. One wishes he had not retired from Test cricket so soon.

Jubel D’Cruz,

(jubeldcruz@yahoo.com) 

Nothing succeeds like success
Operation Sindoor emerged as a calibrated military response to an evolving pattern of asymmetric warfare, one that increasingly targets unarmed civilians along with military personnel. The terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam in April 2025 served as a grim reminder of this shift. India’s response was deliberate, precise, and strategic. Without crossing the Line of Control or international boundary, Indian forces struck terrorist infrastructure and eliminated multiple threats. However, beyond tactical brilliance, what stood out was the seamless integration of indigenous hi-tech systems into national defence. Whether in drone warfare, layered air defence, or electronic warfare, Operation Sindhoor marks a milestone in India’s journey towards technological self-reliance in military operations. It was a clinical operation to stem the rot and gave a fitting reply. India’s air defence systems, combining assets from the Army, Navy, and primarily the Air Force, performed with exceptional synergy. These systems created an impenetrable wall, foiling multiple attempts by Pakistan to retaliate. India’s offensive strikes targeted key Pakistani air bases – Noor Khan and Rahimyar Khan – with surgical precision. Loitering munitions were used to devastating effect, each finding and destroying high-value targets, including enemy radar and missile systems. All strikes were executed without loss of Indian assets, underscoring the effectiveness of our surveillance, planning, and delivery systems. The use of modern indigenous technology, from long-range drones to guided munitions, made these strikes highly effective and politically calibrated. IAF bypassed and jammed Pakistan’s Chinese-supplied defence system, completing the mission in just 23 minutes, demonstrating India’s technical edge in full measure.

C. K. Subramaniam,

(cksumpire@gmail.com)