Letter from the Editor-in-Chief
Letter from the Editor-in-Chief
March 2010
The recent budget session has revealed that the Railways Ministry is gearing up for a very busy future in the North East. The plans for new railway lines and the augmentation of existing ones particularly in the North East bode well for the prosperity and development of the region. One must commend Union Minister Mamata Banerjee and her ministry for the efforts to enhance rail connectivity in the region. This move invariably means more jobs, cheaper commodities and the exposure of the region as a whole. It is interesting to note that the Byrnihat Railway line has been declared a national project. With the coming of the trains, freight charges which the people have to pay for in transporting goods into the region will be greatly reduced which ultimately means cheaper commodities.
Speaking of cheaper commodities, Eastern Panorama recently paid a visit to the FCI godown in Shillong in a quest to find the reasons behind discrepancies in the quality and price of food grain released by the FCI and that which the common man finally buys from the wholesellers and stockists. Suffice it to say that the revelations make us question the necessity of these wholesellers and stockists. Though they regularly blame the FCI for supplying inferior products, this visit has shown that matters are on the contrary. Greed is a very human quality and it is very easy to give in to its whims. However, should we not, at the very least, try to fight its beckoning hand?
On another note, Manipur has, over the years, picked up the notoriety of being one of the most trouble torn states in the Indian Union. Militancy, time and again rears its ugly head to disrupt development and normal life. Authorities have tried to curb this militancy in a number of ways, alas, to no avail. The frequency of clashes with militants naturally means that tensions and nerves are high strung on the part of the security forces whose life could end in a moment through a wayward bullet. This has in turn led to their being a little, shall we say, ‘trigger happy’. The unfortunate result of this scenario is that often, innocent people face the repercussions. What the authorities have to understand is that they are only further distancing themselves from the common man through such high handedness and this will only serve as an obstacle in bringing about peace in Manipur. They need to show a little restraint and through this, win over the population, a majority of which is law abiding and longing for peace.
Dr. K. K. Jhuhjhunwala