Editor,
The Mawlai road which is very busy and important from Petrol Pump-Stanley Roy Show Room to the junction at Mawroh, FCI Godown is in very poor condition. The road is uneven, bumpy, damaged and water is flowing in some places. This road is still in poor condition in the face of intense daily traffic 24/7, burdened by its fragility. The poor and substandard repairs carried out by the PWD after the laying of cables and pipes by the relevant departments added to the damage of this road.
Through this esteemed daily, I just want to bring this matter to the attention of Mawlai Town Dorbar and our representatives, MLA and MDC who are always pro-active and the Department concerned to consider this very important road on a priority basis for the advantage and convenience for everyone.
yours, etc.,
Rymbai Reward,
By email
CM builds castles in the air
Editor
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma in his budget speech announced that the state would introduce 100 minibuses to meet the needs of school children in the city. This plan was presented to the public when MB Dhar was Deputy Commissioner of East Khasi Hills District and also Chairman of RTA. And the plan was blocked when the children’s parents flatly rejected it. This time too, we hope it won’t be different.
About the electric bus, the idea is almost impossible with the current power supply scenario, unless the government can generate an additional 67.5 kW power source for a bus. But how are electric buses possible when Meghalaya is currently out of power? I’m sure the CM is well informed about the electricity crisis in our state and with the statistical power calculation above, he would think twice or thrice before building castles in the air. I wonder why the CM didn’t bother to consult with our MeECL engineers.
When Nitin Gadkari, the Union Transport Minister, planned to run all vehicles on electricity by 2024, two people from a renowned company came to Shillong from Delhi and Bombay to study the feasibility of such a plan. They stayed for three days and feeling that there was constant load shedding and electricity rationing, with old power lines tangled on top of each other, they simply gave up and left Shillong. The lesson here is “Look before you jump”.
yours, etc.,
C. Lyngdoh Mawnai
Shillong 14.
Too late for lifeboats
Editor,
About the letter: “Has the lifeboat arrived too late? by Toki Blah (ST Mar 10, 2022) the answer is yes. We no longer need the lifeboat. The MCCL built in 1966 is now nearly dead after being left orphaned by short-sighted politicians and bureaucrats. In place of MCCL, the Congress-led government of Meghalaya set up 11 cement plants by going against all standards and successfully passing through environmental impact assessment (EIA) and forest laws. This devastated the western end of the Khaddoom Range. By contrast, Lafarge, the international mining company that adheres to all environmental standards and devotes a substantial portion of its revenue to the welfare of the people, is allowed to operate under the strict control of the Supreme Court.
A final nail in the coffin was driven by the then Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Prakash Javedekar, in collusion with the MDA government, when he allowed Star Cement to expand its mining operation to 8, 2 more km in the eco-sensitive area of Narpuh. reserve forest. What else can Lumshnong residents expect? Like the Adivasis and Dalits, the tribes here too live in constant fear of being expelled by greedy merchants. Lumshnong is a skeleton village with polluted air and water. Add to that the noise pollution from loudspeakers blaring at drivers until 3am. Next on the list of environmental havoc would be Brishyrnot when Star Cement explores limestone in an eco-sensitive area.
The Lukha River is dead. Its blue color was investigated by Mukul Chattopadhyay, Senior Scientist of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in 2017. The report proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the river turns blue after receiving the lunar river which carries all the human and industrial waste from cement plants.
At COP 26 in Glasgow, philanthropist Bill Gates donated $5 billion to the COP. This money is intended to reduce industrial pollution and electricity-intensive cement factories thanks to the green bonus which would increase the price of a product by an additional 70%. A bag of cement currently costs Rs 400. With the added green bounty, it would cost around Rs 680. Paying extra Rs 280 is compensation for the lives saved.
Regarding climate change, if we see what happened to Narpuh, then the change is irreversible. This is why UN chief Antonio Guterres, in his opening speech at the COP in Glasgow, said: “We are digging our own graves”. And buying time until 2070, which means 40 more years to limit the rise in mercury to 1.5 degrees against the wishes of all countries, seems too much to ask.
As far as Meghalaya is concerned, the boats no longer need to arrive. We are already doomed.
yours, etc.,
FC Suchiang
Lumshnong
Jaintia Hills
