Poor Progress Of Railway Electrification
Sir, – The extension of railway electrification to the NF Railway zone was sanctioned long back in 2008 but nothing was done practically till 2014. The change of power at the Centre could initiate the work on a war footing but only the Katihar division could be converted to electric traction by 2020. Many trains still run with diesel engines as no electric engine has been sanctioned for the NFR till now. The electrification has been completed up to Rangiya station and good progress has been made in the Guwahati-Lumding section also. But for reasons best known to the railways, the electrification from Rangiya to Guwahati and from New Bongaigaon to New Alipurduar has seen no progress at all. The Railway Ministry had planned to commission electric traction up to Guwahati by February 2021 but it seems to be an uphill task now. The electrification and the doubling work in the other route via Goalpara are also progressing at snail’s pace from the beginning. It is unfortunate that the Centre’s step-motherly attitude towards the Northeast still exists. Yours etc., KISHORE PAUL CHOWDHURY, Kalyani, West Bengal.
One agenda
Sir, – The Assembly elections are two-and-a-half months away and all the political parties are flexing their muscles. Every day, small to big time leaders are making various comments. After the anti-CAA movement, around four to six regional political outfits have taken birth and majority of the anti-CAA movement leaders have joined one or the other party. There is a common dialogue for every leader from the newly-formed parties: “Our main target is to overthrow the BJP from Dispur.” Other than that, they don’t have any other agenda. All have only one agenda in their manifesto and that is to dislodge the BJP from power. People want to know about their plans and ideas for the common people. People want development. Yours etc., CHOTU NATH BORO, Baghbor.
Hoardings on trees
Sir, – On my daily commute to Dhula in Darrang district where I work, I see large hoardings of political leaders with their own pictures hanging on the trees and electric posts on both sides of the National Highway. Indeed, in psychological language these can be identified as Narcissistic characters. Sadness and misfortune hang the hoardings by piercing iron nails on the trees. It is a crime to pierce nails on the trees and put hoardings on them in such a ruthless manner. On the other hand, such acts are also a cause of damage to the environment and nature. Further, while driving at night, the hoardings on the side of the road reflect the headlight beam of the plying vehicles and cause difficulties to the drivers. This results in a high probability of accidents. Therefore, such hoardings cause harm to nature as well as human beings. It’s a pity that the environmental organizations have not protested in this regard. Moreover, it’s not clear why the National Highway authority, and the Forests and Environment Department have not taken any action in this regard. The State and Central governments should enact strong laws against this. Yours etc., HERAMBA NATH, Kamrup.
Aadhaar card
Sir, – We want to raise one unusual issue through your newspaper. Four members of our family applied for the Aadhaar card on December 16 last. Interestingly, while the applications of three of our family members were approved, the same of my daughter-in-law was rejected citing wrong address despite the fact that we live in the same house. I hope that the Aadhaar authorities will look into this and take corrective measures. Yours etc., RABINDRA SARMA, Tetelia, Guwahati.
Great tragedy
Sir, – A sudden fire at a hospital in Maharashtra’s Bhandara district caused the death of 10 newborns due to suffocation. Seven babies were rescued in the incident. All the infants were between one and three months old. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray termed the incident sad and ordered a high-level inquiry into the matter. According to the hospital authorities, 17 newborns were present when the fire broke out in the neonatal intensive care unit. A short circuit has been identified as the main cause of the fire. This is a really tragic incident. Yours etc., MOINUL HOQUE, Goalpara.
