Letters to the Editor: Six Mile Flyover

Six Mile flyover

It is indeed disturbing news that the Six Mile flyover is on the verge of collapse. It is likely to happen anytime! From the visuals, made available in electronic media, it appears that one of the piers of the flyover is sinking. If that is the case, then without a doubt, we can state that piling was not properly done. It is for sure that the strength of the flyover depends on the strength of piers. The life span of a flyover should not be less than 60 to 80 years to become cost-effective, with time-to-time maintenance. Only a 16-year life span is totally unacceptable. It is a clear case of public money going down the gutters. At the end of the day, common people have to bear the brunt for the mess created by some irresponsible people.

Good design (say) alone can’t give the strength of the structures. It depends on various factors: (a) material of construction like steel, cement, stone chips, sand, and water (b) all construction materials to be tested in a reputed laboratory before it is put to use (c) good workmanship (d) proper curing of civil structures (e) when constructing with piles, it is essential to ensure their integrity and load-bearing capacity through appropriate testing (f) Finally, close monitoring/supervising of jobs in every stage of execution is important. I am not an expert in the field. However, my involvement in the execution of mega projects for 31 years, in the country and abroad as well, I want to speak one thing loud and clear: the best of the best contractors of the country needs close monitoring of jobs by a reputed consultant on behalf of the client, without which things go haywire.

Prafulla Dowarah,

Guwahati

Suicide prevention through awareness and support

I am deeply concerned about the alarming rise in suicide cases, particularly among women, and the circumstances that have placed Guwahati under city control started rising since the beginning of 2025. My tragic loss of a loved one recently to suicide has made me more aware of how fast action is required on this. The individuals commit the acts because there are no platforms to express their feelings. Most people feared coming out as they thought they would be judged, leaving them isolated and ultimately leading them to take such actions, where people act impulsively without thinking. Some people’s mental illnesses may worsen as a result of being threatened or under pressure. We must provide a secure environment where people may talk about their experiences, get help, and find understanding without worrying about being judged.

I request the government take decisive action to open these platforms in order to guarantee safety and start the right kind of support for our community. We may then decrease the chance of tragedies like this happening again in the future, thereby saving lives and strengthening the welfare of our society in Guwahati; also, I urge the authorities to take swift and effective investigations on incidents of psychological torture since delay is going to add more harm and deny justice.

Darshana Das,

Cotton University

Pesticide menace and food safety

The excessive use of pesticides and other chemicals to protect or increase yield continues to be a growing concern as it jeopardises public and soil health besides posing a serious threat to the ecology. The recent survey by two IITians has revealed that there has been a widespread practice of pesticides and other harmful chemicals among the vegetable growers in four districts in the state, with the menace worsening due to the absence of interventions by the state’s agriculture department. The editorial: ‘Regularity norms to curb pesticide overuse’ published in your esteemed daily on January 21 has rightly said that the overdependence of farmers on retailers for determining pesticide quantity to give the vegetables a perfect eye-catching look in the markets with a view to get a better bargain has only exemplified the laxity of the state government and its department concerned in tracking down hard on the adulterators. When consumers are compelled to consume poisoned food in spite of spending a huge part of their income on food due to spiralling price rises, they push themselves into the incidence of serious and chronic diseases to unmanageable levels. Now, the question arises in the minds of common consumers: What is the role of the state government? The answer is that the state needs effective and stringent food safety regulations or monitoring mechanisms to deal with the alarming situation. The editorial rightly pointed out that there is a need for urgent review of the staff strength of agriculture extension officers, more particularly in pesticide-affected districts of Barpeta, Darrang, and Nagaon, to carry out frequent and regular inspections to find out if all the farmers in the districts were strictly following their advice or not. We need a strong push to build awareness among farmers, dealers, and consumers about health risks of excessive use of pesticides. It will be possible only when there are collaborative efforts by the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Food, Public Distribution, and Consumers. The state government ought to take up the matter of such vital public interest on a priority basis to ensure that the directives from the Guwahati High Court to chalk out a plan to check contamination of food items are strictly adhered to. There is no doubt that one sample testing positive means that bulk production of the same producer is contaminated and may have reached scores of households and created health hazards. The state is also lacking in terms of an adequate number of laboratories accredited by the National Accreditation Board (NABL) for testing. This is a major impediment in the food safety monitoring system, which needs to be sorted out soon. The state cannot be allowed to be a happy dumping ground for all sorts of substandard different food items by the use of banned substances. The daily inspection of samples of vegetable supplies arriving in different parts of Guwahati markets must be put into practice without fail.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati.