Letters to The EDITOR: Safer and more reliable green bus service

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Safer and more reliable green bus service

Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I would like to express my concern over the recent issues involving the Green Bus service in Guwahati. The Green Bus initiative was introduced to provide safe, affordable, and environmentally friendly public transport. However, recent incidents have raised serious concerns among daily commuters.

Many passengers have witnessed reckless driving, sudden lane changes, overspeeding, and buses stopping at random places instead of designated bus stops. In some cases, buses have also been reported to deviate from their assigned routes, causing inconvenience to passengers. Such behaviour puts lives at risk and creates unnecessary traffic congestion on the city's busy roads.

It is encouraging to see that strict action has been taken against drivers who violated traffic rules. However, along with enforcement, regular driver training, better monitoring, and strict adherence to traffic regulations are equally important. Ensuring punctual services and maintaining discipline on the roads will help restore public confidence in the Green Bus system.

Public transport is the backbone of a growing city like Guwahati. A safe, disciplined, and reliable Green Bus service will encourage more people to use public transport, reducing traffic congestion and making the city a better place to live.

I hope the concerned authorities will continue to strengthen the Green Bus service for the benefit of all commuters.

Shibani Deka

Gauhati University

Push to the handloom sector

India's Swadeshi Movement took off on August 7, 1905, to protest the British Raj's decision to partition Bengal. The movement aimed to boycott foreign clothes and boost indigenous textile manufacture. India's handloom sector is the world's largest.

An important source of livelihood in rural and semi-rural India, 70 per cent of handloom workers are women. "National Handloom Day" (NHL) was first observed on August 7, 2015.  The handloom sector significantly contributes to the country's socioeconomic development.

NHL is all about preserving and boosting the domestic handloom sector. We recognise and honour the many unheralded artisans and weavers who work behind the scenes. Making people aware of the rich cultural traditions of handloom is crucial for the sector's sustenance.  The government should make every effort to provide additional support to the native handloom sector. The slogan "vocal for local" is apt. More and more technical training programmes should be put in place, and digital marketing should be given a push.

Dr Ganapathi Bhat

(gbhat13@gmail.com)

Flooding of Guwahati and citizen awareness

We know that Assam receives an average rainfall of 210 cm to 280 cm every year. This year is no exception. But according to meteorological data, due to 28% less rainfall in the beginning of this year, the drains and sewers of the entire city dried up and were almost forgotten. The "civilised" citizens living here have fuelled this entire process. The result of our habit of irresponsibly dumping daily household waste in polythene bags into the drains is one of the causes of this artificial flood. However, it would be wrong to blame only the citizens for such a situation. Another major reason is the destruction of nature - whether in the name of development or for any other reason. The city of Guwahati is a green land surrounded by hills, and its topography is unique.

The legal and illegal excavation and deforestation carried out every day in the name of "development" have also created a dangerous situation. Even if we destroy forests when necessary, adequate afforestation can be an alternative to maintain the natural balance.

It is not enough for us citizens to just be educated. We must also be aware of nature conservation. Only then will we be able to protect the city from artificial floods as well as other natural disasters.

Along with these measures, a conscious citizen also bears the responsibility of taking precautions during house construction, such as making proper drainage arrangements and ensuring that their house does not obstruct anyone's drain. 

In this regard, it is important to emphasise that, in addition to civic responsibility, strict government regulations are also necessary.

Azgar Ahmed

(aazgarahmed26@gmail.com)

Riverbank

erosion needs lasting solutions

The recent editorial, "Erosion prevention cannot wait in Assam, has rightly highlighted the twin issues of flooding and erosion in the state's second capital, Dibrugarh. No doubt, erosion is a major challenge for the state government. So, the Assam CM's long-awaited announcement that the state government will develop a comprehensive long-term science-driven strategy has definitely brought a ray of hope. It will take help from the technical expertise of IIT, Guwahati, to combat the recurring problem of riverbank erosion. The state's disaster management's failure to prioritise the burning issue is highly regrettable. The worsening riverbank erosion is not a future threat; it is a slow-moving permanent disaster of the district that is already unfolding. The Rs 90 crore erosion mitigation project for the district is expected to be strengthened with inputs from IIT to ensure durable protection of the vulnerable river. Now, it is essential for the concerned department to build its capacity to meticulously plan and meet project deadlines to ensure time-bound project execution, instead of piecemeal seasonal interventions. Other needs include continuous updating of the database on river flow regimes, sedimentation loads, erosion patterns, scientific studies on the dynamic river system, etc., for which there is a requirement of massive funding for research and technology adoption. There is no doubt that we can achieve a lasting solution to erosion resilience only through a sustainable scientific approach.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati.