Letters to The EDITOR

Assam is Heading towards Becoming

a Banana State!

The term ‘Banana state’ has been derived from “Banana Republic”. The same reminds us about a few nations on the African continent. In a country/state where rule of law does not prevail, then those countries/states can be called as Banana republic/states. The way the rule of law or public order appeared to have been decimated brazenly in the state, there is no doubt that Assam is heading towards becoming a Banana State.

Guwahati is the gateway to the North East and the face of the state as well. So, such happenings in Guwahati speak themselves about the state. Most of the footpaths of the city are uneven and unsafe for pedestrians. The city’s footpaths are being occupied by petty vendors and food stalls. Those apart two wheelers and cars are parked on footpaths with impunity. The sidewalks are being barricaded by police; we don’t know, for what? What is left for pedestrians? Now let us talk traffic: City busses don’t maintain time schedule and discipline while on the roads. Two wheelers as well as four wheelers go berserk and violate traffic norms by driving left, right and centre. And all are happening under the very nose of our great police force. The above suffice to speak the state of affairs of the state. No governance. Everything is in a mess.

Prafulla Dowarah,

Guwahati.

GMC Parking

in Guwahati

Laudable baby steps are taken by Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) to organize the parking of cars, in some areas in the City, and bring some sanity. However, much needs to be done and citizens’ sensitivity and involvement is a must in this regard. Guwahatians lack civic sense in this regard, and park two and four wheelers haphazardly, making the city roads even more congested.

At the same time, even in parking spaces, the persons manning the GMC parking slots charge exorbitant parking fees that do not go to the kitty of GMC. The citizens are cheated and also GMC looses parking fees. Some hand held devices are allotted, but these provide the entry and exit timings, and not the chargeable fees, leading to leakages and scope for cheating. The print-outs should have at least the parking rate.

GMC should improve on its existing system, and most importantly, involve the people for a more efficient system.

A Bhuyan,

Nagaon.