The French connection

The report on Mathias Coulange in The Telegraph northeast (July 5) is the story of an exceptional man. The French national has devoted his life to the uplift of Majuli and is doing all he can to put it on the world map.

Coulange reminds one of Sanjoy Ghose, who worked tirelessly to emancipate the marooned people of Majuli, only to be kidnapped and killed by Ulfa in 1997 on the premise that he was working for the Research and Analysis Wing. Had Ghose been alive today, he would have found a great companion in Coulange.

Though Ghose and Coulange are from outside the state, they have worked selflessly for Majuli.

It is a matter of shame that we, the Asomiyas, have failed to evolve any policy on Majuli. The island faces the continuous threat of being washed away and its people are yet to witness any development worth its name. The Assam government should step in and provide all help to Coulange in his Majuli endeavour. The government should also consider starting a research centre at Majuli and name it after Ghose.

Pritam Hazarika,
Dibrugarh

The abuse that goes unspoken

A number of months have passed since Assam woke up one morning to learn that it has topped the national child abuse statistics. But little has been done in the state, or anywhere else for that matter, to check it.

Sexual exploitation, child labour or physical torture — abuse abounds on the street, in school and even at home.

The crushing irony is that much of this abuse begins at home.

Hundreds of doting parents around the country buy the best luxuries for their children and at the same time, hire little hands for domestic work.

Does it take statistics and laws to explain to educated citizens that it is anything but ethical to make children work as domestic help?

A bit of conscience and humanity is all it takes to stop this monstrous abuse. And that little attempt must begin at home.

Aarti Saraf,
Cotton College

Near Dispur, but far from amenities

The Assam Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Board has stopped supplying water to Bishnupath in Rukminigaon near Dispur capital complex for the past several months.

Faced with acute shortage of drinking water, residents are now being forced to buy water from private agencies at exorbitant rates.

Despite repeated complaints to the board, till date no measures have been taken to resolve the ongoing water crisis.

The problem can be solved easily if the board sends it engineers and officials to check and plug the loopholes in the pipe network in the locality.

But despite being so close to Dispur, the consumers of the locality are being forced to run from pillar to post for a drop of water.

The residents, of course, have stopped paying the board’s bills.

Disconnection of water supply by the board is an offence under the provisions of the Consumers Protection Act, 1986.

The residents of the area have now threatened to launch an agitation if the board fails to provide drinking water soon and will be compelled to file a petition in Guwahati Consumers’ Forum in this regard.

I would like to draw the attention of the minister and the commissioner of Assam urban water supply and sewerage board to the sufferings of the consumers of Bishnupath of Rukminigaon.