Letters to the Editor: Save Deepor Beel

Save Deepor Beel

Your timely editorial 'Saving Deeper Beel' (April 7) has rightly said that the issuance of a stay order by the Guwahati High Court's division bench regarding the state government's cabinet decision to 'denotify' the Deeper Beel bird sanctuary is indeed a significant step towards the future wellbeing of the wetland's periphery. There is no doubt about it that a real estate lobby is behind the sinister move of the government to de-notify Deeper Beel, even if it means seriously compromising the health of the state capital, Guwahati itself. The government's recent mindless water festival in the wetland by blocking the outlet to the Brahmaputra not only caused an abnormal rise in the water level but also drastically hit the arrival of migratory birds. Needless to say, the state's lone Ramsar Site today is in deplorable condition due to the dumping of the city's garbage in its vicinity, which contributes to rising pollution levels in the water body. Besides, its area has shrunk substantially due to encroachment, industrial activities, and construction works. The state government's appalling neglect in enforcing the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) norms around the wetland is indeed shameful. The government must honour the NGT's directives and observations for sustaining this nature's wonderland. Let us all work together to protect the wetland's degradation process and safeguard its ecosystem once and for all.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati

Economist PM

So, at last, the tenure of Rajya Sabha member Dr. Manmohan Singh is over. Being an economist of the highest order, he was the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India. He was accidentally dragged into politics by the then UPA government and later became the PM of the nation. He was elected from Assam to the RajyaSabha and was the PM of the nation from 2004 to 2014. We still remember one scene when Rahul Gandhi, a descendant of the Gandhi family and former President of INC, tore an ordinance in front of him. Mr. Singh simply looked on helplessly and kept quiet, which made us believe that he was remotely controlled and became PM accidentally. Even though he was elected from Assam, he hardly visited Assam during his tenure as PM. His successor, from 2014 onwards till date, NarendraModi, a former 'chaiwala' and ex-CM of Gujarat, replaced him as PM after getting elected to the Lower House from Varanasi, and he visited Assam several times for the welfare of NE India.

I wish Manmohan Singh a restful and peaceful life.

Lanu Dutt Chowdhury,

Guwahati

Campaign now is sound and fury

This has reference to "The Sentinel" editorial "Mudslinging politicians" (April 7). When elections loom large, rival politicians attack one another as if there is no tomorrow. Politicians are at ease playing with the sentiments of the voters. Angry words flow thick and fast; contesting candidates spare no effort to paint the other black. Unfortunately, the top brass of every political party seem oblivious to the turn of events because they themselves are in a “vitriolic mood."  Some statements made by candidates and campaigners are so weird that no sensible party bigwig should have tolerated the offensive words. But they have, and others of their ilk are emboldened to follow suit.  The Election Commission (EC) has taken several salient measures to reign in the motormouths on the verge of the line of decorum, but obviously it's not enough.  Besides, jingoism is not patriotism.  Most politicians who have run amok with socio-cultural and religious agendas are not naive enough to have a faltered understanding of these concepts because most of them are suave masters of mind games. Not that they are ignorant about the properness of the election campaign. Nor did they stir the pot for the heck of it.  There is an unambiguous agenda and a calculated madness that have shaped the party policies. In the early days, huge crowds used to mob political rallies for political oratory. If at all, jokes and potshots regaled the audience. Not anymore; now it is all sound and fury.

DrGanapathi  Bhat

(gbhat13@gmail.com)

A Correction

The last sentence of the seventh paragraph of the article by Mita Nath, 'Lakhpati Baideu: India's energetic, empowered, entrepreneurial rural women' published on Page No. 5 of the April 7, 2024, issue of this daily should have been 'the government is handholding them to progress,' and not as published. The inadvertent error is regretted.

– Editor