Letters to THE EDITOR: Tezpur development package

Tezpur development packageI would like to thank the State Government for various heartwarming decisions taken for the development of Tezpur during the recent Tezpur Cabinet meeting. The bag of gifts to Tezpur includes Rs 4. 5 crore for the development of Baan Theatre, which is the cultural heart of the people of Tezpur, and Rs 15 crore to the Water Resources Department for dredging the Mora Bharali, developing the Tezpur Central Jail campus over 64 bighas of land with a 1000-capacity auditorium, special measures for preservation and development of Poki, the ancestral home of Jyotiprasad Agarwala, and many more.

This is very good news for all. But there are many more problems faced by the residents of Tezpur in their day-to-day life. Being an important tourist destination, Tezpur needs proper and scientific town planning, systematic parking and traffic management with control over the rising number of e-rickshaws for which residents of Tezpur and as well as visitors from outside face many problems.

Many tourist sites of Tezpur like Bamuni hill, Second Gate at Da Parbatia, Old Baan Theatre, Ganesh Ghat, Jahaj Ghat etc. , are still seen in a deplorable condition. They need protection.

So, I urge the department concerned and government officials to initiation of necessary measures on the same for the overall beautification of the city. Aditya Ankur Nath, Tezpur Plight of GuwahatiThe incessant rains for the last few days have brought the people of Guwahati to their knees. There is flood, water-logging and landslides everywhere.

The water level is flowing above the danger level. More importantly, the communication came to a standstill. There are dangers in every step on the roads as the uncovered drains and potholes are covered with water.

People are losing their lives and properties are being damaged. Areas like Anil Nagar, Zoo Road, Chandmari and Hatigaon are submerged, and people here have been provided relief materials. In this scenario, one wonders where we stand in the dream of making Guwahati a ‘smart city.

The results of unplanned constructions and encroachments in the hills are wreaking havoc on the city dwellers during heavy rains. The Government should have concentrated on cleaning and covering the draining systems before the rainy season starts rather than investing in flyovers and beautification of the city. The need of the hour is in improving and repairing the existing infrastructure rather than spending crores on the new flashy non-priority projects in the city.

Kapil Sharma, Zoo Road, Guwahati. Violence will not yield anythingIt is really unfortunate of late to see so much violence happening in various protests connected to different issues in various corners of our nation. The protests against the Agnipath recruitment scheme are the latest one, and it is heart-breaking to see bloody violence, arson, clashes and conflicts happening in the name of protests.

Be it the Agnipath protests, protests connected to comments on prophet Muhammed, the Kerala gold scam protests, or ED questioning Rahul Gandhi – what one can see is just clashes and conflicts occurring at the drop of a hat. Violence is not going to yield any good results. Our heads have to hang in shame as this is happening in a land where the greatest of preachers of peace and nonviolence was born.

In a land where the greatest apostle of peace was born, it seems his people have completely forgotten that. Gandhiji’s principles and ideals paved way for a nation and its people to unharness themselves from a powerful empire. And to get freedom, Mahatma Gandhi did not instigate his people to follow the path of violence and crooked ways but plain non-violence, truth and tolerance.

There is a lot of difference between the generation the great Mahatma led and that of today. Even though most of the people of that era were poor, uneducated and unemployed they did not resort to unwanted arson, clashes and conflicts and the credit for that goes to the leaders who were committed to the cause, dedicated to their motherland, transparent to the core and duty-bound to see that they worked along with the followers teaching them the right way to attain whatever the aim be. Today we have the so-called ‘leaders’ seated in their air-conditioned suites watching arsons and clashes live and remote controlling the activities done by their well-fed mobs.

They are neither seen along with the followers nor do they in reality feel the heat of the conflicts. Poor people, especially the youth are just taken for a ride. They are completely misguided, instigated, incited and brainwashed to the core only for these pseudo leaders to achieve their aims and for their selfish motives.

We the citizens of a beautiful nation rich in its culture and heritage must truly introspect ourselves, analyse the matters in deep and choose the right. Let us also not forget the Mahatma’s thought-provoking words-be the change you wish to see in the world. M Pradyu, Kannur.

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