How to disconnect Northeast

A little over two months after prime minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Pakyong airport in Sikkim and made tall claims about connectivity receiving big boost under the NDA regime, air connectivity to several cities of Northeast India is on the verge of being shut down. Jet Airways, a leading airline of the country has announced withdrawal of its services from the region, which will totally disconnect Mizoram from other states of the Northeast, apart from cutting of Jorhat and Silchar and reducing connectivity to Imphal. The announcement also comes at a time when Jet Airways – already in the news for various wrong reasons – has started acquired over ten 737 MAX aircrafts ‘to enhance its in-flight experience’ in the Indian skies, as Naresh Goyal, Chairman of the airline said in the November issue of its in-flight magazine. The airline that claims its ‘commitment to redefine and elevate flying experience’ of its guests, have struck off seven states of the country in the interest of fulfilling its only motive of making profits. Flights to the Northeast have been withdrawn in the interest of people flying from the metros to Singapore, Dubai, Bali, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo and Seoul etc, as also in the interest of people of smaller cities like Pune, Vadodara, Coimbatore, Patna, Varanasi, Indore, Madurai, Kozhikode and so on. This withdrawal of flights by Jet Airways has also happened when prime minister has been making lofty claims that emphasis was being given to enhance both infrastructural and emotional connectivity in the entire North Eastern region at a rapid rate. While inaugurating Pakyong airport he had also claimed that frequent visit of Union ministers to the region had made results ‘visible’ on the ground. What he should now admit that results are not ‘visible’ when it comes to air connectivity. There is genuine apprehension now that other private airlines will also follow suit soon and withdraw their services to the Northeast, even after the Centre has doled out various incentives and concessions to them, which they had already availed. Jet Airways, for instance, had in its latest in-flight magazine, even taken a few lakh rupees from North-Eastern Council by way of publishing an advertisement of North Eastern Region Community Resource Managament Project. The tragedy is that the 25 ‘hon’ble’ Lok Sabha members and 14 ‘hon’ble’ Rajya Sabha members from the region will not raise their voice on this matter. Who is bothered about the Northeast?

Making campuses ragging-free

Authorities in the universities and colleges in Assam have miserably failed to curb the menace of ragging. This has been confirmed by none other than the University Grants Commission (UGC). In a letter to the Assam chief secretary, the UGC has not only expressed concern over rise of ragging incidents in institutions of higher education in the state, but has also reflected how callous the topmost official of the Assam government can be in such serious matters related to the future of thousands of students. The UGC letter has said that the Assam chief secretary had failed to respond to a letter sent on August 31, 2017, through which it had asked the state government to take urgent steps to put an end to ragging. Thus, last week UGC wrote another letter to the Assam chief secretary requesting his intervention to ensure that ragging was stopped. Why the Assam chief secretary had not responded to the UGC’s letter of 2017 is anybody’s guess; it not only reflects the work culture in Assam but also how irresponsible senior IAS officers can be, especially in matters relating to students and youth. While it is the state government’s duty to keep an eye on the welfare and well-being of students, it is said that the UGC had to remind the chief secretary about increase in incidents of ragging in the state, which is ‘not acceptable’ because it is adversely affecting the higher education system. It is the UGC that had to inform the Assam chief secretary that the number of reported incidents of ragging had increased manifold in the state in the past ten years – from three in 2009 to 33 in 2017. While these are only ‘reported’ incidents, it is open secret that the number of actual incidents is much higher. Some institutions that are said to be notorious for ragging include Assam Engineering College, Jorhat Engineering College, Cotton University, Guwahati Medical College, Silchar Medical College and Assam Medical College. It is also rampant in most college hostels, including those for girls. Though the Supreme Court had in 2009 itself made it mandatory for universities, colleges and other institutions of higher education to set up anti-ragging committees and to take an on-line undertaking from students and parents against ragging, most institutions in Assam are said to have not complied with it. Why would principals and vice-chancellors bother to comply when the state’s topmost officer – chief secretary – is not bothered? Thus, as ragging continues unabated, most cases go unreported with the victims not getting the right kind of support. Most heads of institutions in Assam prefer to deny whenever such incidents come to light. Most principals and VCs probably do not know that according to UGC Regulations ragging includes “any act of physical or mental abuse (including bullying and exclusion) targeted at another student (fresher or otherwise) on the ground of colour, race, religion, caste, ethnicity, gender (including transgender), sexual orientation, appearance, nationality, regional origins, linguistic identity, place of birth, place of residence or economic background.” As a result, many students are compelled to quietly quit higher studies even after getting a seat following a lot of struggle, both academic and financial. Everybody down the line, right from the chief secretary, appear to be indifferent.