Letters to the Editor: A DC who walks the talk

Recently on the social media platform, visuals of DC Keethi Jalli's visit to the flood-hit areas of the Cachar district have gone viral. Everyone appreciated and praised this young and talented IAS officer for reaching out to the flood-affected people of Cachar. She visited the flood-affected areas by walking through the muddy roads. According to media reports, 1,63,000 persons across 291 villages of Cachar have come under recent floods. Local people said that it was the first example of the Deputy Commissioner's visit to their village at the time of the flood. Such types of the spot and time visit by the Deputy Commissioner may surely help the district administration and disaster management authority for emphasizing protecting villages so that damage can be reduced in future.

Rupak G Duarah,

Rajahnagar, Guwahati -40

Clarion call

The latest Batradrawa incident should be a clarion call to all bonafide and true followers of great Lachit Barphukan to rally behind as one which he inspired the sons/daughters of the soil four hundred years ago. It is also high time Asomiyas differentiated between friends and foes. Interestingly, the two 'super secular' political parties, namely the Congress and the AIUDF once again got united whenever and wherever people belonging to a particular linguistic minority are involved due to wrong reasons. The love-hate relationship between the INC and the AIUDF is no doubt very amusing for all as seen in the recent divorce and reunion between them.

The clarion call also goes to the AASU and the AJYCP in particular, the two so-called apolitical and secular bodies of the state who spearheaded the last anti-CAA movement along with the INC and the AIUDF. They seem to be at crossroads as they are again gearing up for yet another anti-CAA movement where the above mentioned 'super secular' political parties are likely to render them support. A single slip on their part might be fatal for us. Ultimately, the battle line is drawn between the pro and anti-Asomiya. JOI AAI ASOM.

Lanu Dutt Chowdhury,

Guwahati

Workability of super-suckers!

A poor state like Assam can't afford the luxury to throw Rs 25 crore down the drain for nothing. It was given to understand that GMC purchased 10-Super-suckers to de-silt the drains of Guwahati at the cost of Rs 25 crore. When I first get the news through the media a few months back, one thing struck my mind was that whether the workability of super-suckers was studied to use in Guwahati's drains. I am not an expert in this field. Even I have not seen the machines. However, from my common sense, I was sure that super-suckers would not work in Guwahati drains. Drains in Guwahati have no proper shape and size. It seems that proper engineering was also not done while constructing drains. At the top of it, proper gradients were also not maintained in drains for ease of flowing. In the 21st century, markets are full of gadgets which tempted every common being to go on spending spree. However, a selected few can only afford to do so. Obviously, Assam can't afford such extravaganza and as such accountability needs to be fixed on officials for such wasteful suggestions. In the same light, I want to add stating that we have also seen in the past on TV channels that many luxury buses were dumped in yards to rot. Of course, this trend is continuing for a long. Many decades ago the Assam government purchased two big dredgers from Germany to dredge the river Brahmaputra. We have no record of how much amount of silt/muck it dredged? Now, the wreckages of the two dredgers are also difficult to locate. The above is only a tip of the iceberg.

Prafulla Dowarah,

Guwahati

Mass shooting

Sadly and unsurprisingly mass shootings in the US have become a common affair. But when victims happen to be primary school students, the entire world sits and takes notice of the extremity of the tragedy. The butchery at the primary school in Texas raises again the most obvious question that has been discussed and debated many times in the past: "why can't America stop the scourge of gun violence?" Distressingly enough, it cannot for the reason that gun violence in the US is symbolic of a broken political system that fails to protect its own citizens. Frequent mass shootings are a stain on the country's international reputation. In a broader sense, the failure to implement bold measures against gun violence is seen as a dysfunctional system of a government incapable of protecting its own citizens, including children. In fact, Pew Research Center's survey reveals the fact that an average of 83 per cent of Americans have said that the US is no longer a good model of democracy to follow. This makes for depressing reading and seemingly makes it incumbent on the Biden administration to take immediate action on gun control and the need for gun reform. But without the support of Congress, little will happen federally in the US.

The maddening carnage at the Texas school reiterates the painful fact that despite the world society, over the years, has transcended with a fair amount of maturity, terrorism will continue to pose a constant threat to mankind.

Sivakumar Kumar,

(siva19kumar@gmail.com)