Letters to The EDITOR: Roads are for Development, not Drugs

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Roads are for development, not drugs

Through the columns of your esteemed daily, I wish to express my concern over the growing use of the Karbi Anglong–Nagaland corridor as a trafficking route for narcotics from the Golden Triangle. A recent police operation in Karbi Anglong led to the seizure of suspected morphine worth nearly Rs 3 crore, exposing the seriousness of the drug menace.

Roads are built to promote development, trade, tourism, and connectivity. Unfortunately, criminal networks are exploiting these highways to transport illegal drugs, endangering the lives of countless young people. Drug trafficking fuels addiction, organised crime, and social instability, affecting families and communities. The Assam government's policy of zero tolerance against drug trafficking is a welcome step. However, stronger interstate coordination, strict surveillance on highways, and public awareness campaigns are equally essential to eliminate this threat. Our highways must become symbols of progress and prosperity, not channels for drugs. I hope the authorities will continue taking firm action to safeguard our society.

Priya Sharma

Guwahati, Assam

Guwahati’s

artificial floods

During the recent Assembly election, every loudspeaker promised a "new Assam", a "smart Guwahati" and a "flood-free city", but sadly, the city's real report card is today in front of everyone. At every flyover across the city, vehicles stand packed for hours, not because of traffic alone, but because the road below is so waterlogged that the flyovers have turned into the only dry strip. Recently people were using rubber boats on the street at Commerce Point. In Panjabari, people climbed onto a backhoe to move around. Today the pictures of artificial floods across the city have reflected helplessness. One must acknowledge that the city's "artificial floods" represent a distinct type of tragedy. More than rains, they are about what we built over, what we narrowed, what we did not maintain and what we left open: drains, manholes, slopes and wetlands. Today, channels, lowlands, beels and outlets do not work as expected. Garbage dumping, silt, encroachment and even buildings and roads constructed over drains create "bottlenecks".

Not only Guwahati, but the entire state of Assam also fights floods. At the same time Assam also fights its own planning gaps. Despite several measures by the state government, the gap still persists. We need cross-drains, restoring flow paths and managing inflows from surrounding zones in key areas across the city. The flyovers should have been designed with rainwater harvesting and water management features rather than serving as hard surfaces that only send rainwater onto stressed roads.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati

Golden age of 39             

39 is yet another number which usually looks very ordinary to all esteemed readers, but for bonafide sports lovers across the globe, the said number bears a special significance. Right now, there seem to be only two superhuman sports stars who are ruling the entire sports world. They are Lionel Messi and Novak Djokovic, the uncrowned princes of football and tennis. Incidentally, both are 39 years old.

At 39 years old, the majority of sporting icons hang up their boots and opt for coaching or managerial posts, but the above-mentioned superhumans are dominating two of the most competitive and popular sports in the world. Messi has led his team to the semifinals of the ongoing FIFA World Cup, and Djokovic is still giving a hard time to opponents much younger than him at the major slams.

May the Almighty bless them and grant them a long, healthy life. Amen.

Dr. Ashim Chowdhury,

Guwahati