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| People gather around the body of ‘Laden’, a rogue elephant killed by forest officials in Behali tea estate in Assam on December 16. (Reuters) |
Requiem for ‘rogue’ elephant Laden
The news item “Death warrant out for rogue Laden” in The Telegraph northeast dated December 15, 2006, said “it should take one single bullet to fell a rogue”. So much ado over a “rogue” elephant!
The statement itself sounded like a royal proclamation. As did the recent proclamation by the government to kill the rogue elephant that was, according to media reports, on a rampage in Sonitpur East forest division. (The elephant was killed on December 16).
The nature of the pronouncement is quite arbitrary since the identity of the “rogue” is, to my mind, ambiguous. The main incident that prompted the proclamation occurred on the night of November 19 at Borbhogia village near Jamugurihat. A herd of some nine elephants raided the paddy fields near one Dibyajyoti Bora’s house and one of them attacked the family and killed all its four members.
Did the ‘rogue’ have any identification mark? If yes, what was it and was it unique? Could anyone have definitely seen such mark(s) in the dark? Is there any other basis for identifying the rogue? How was the herd identified?
As elephants are known to range over long distances and it has been almost a month since the incident occurred, could the errant herd not have moved elsewhere and another herd come into that locality?
Then there is a question of “justice” or the basis for justice. Because a certain elephant has destroyed houses, the standing paddy crop and killed human beings, the animal is proclaimed a “rogue”. Killing the rogue with a single bullet is considered the best way to deliver justice.
Why not kill all the elephants in the state and solve the problems spawned by human-elephant conflict, once and for all?
I strongly believe that bullets are not the only answer in a democracy. If we are serious about minimising the human-elephant conflict, then why not seek long-term measures?
Soumen Dey,
Parvati Nagar, Tezpur
Without claiming to run perfect homes for destitute children of Guwahati, on behalf of Don Bosco, I would like to state that there is hardly any truth in the report “A shelter all right, but little succour”, which appeared in The Telegraph northeast on December 12.
There are emergency toilets in the homes for night use, except in the one at Fancy Bazar. There are no malnourished children in our homes. Food, which includes non-vegetarian items, is served in adequate quantity.
There is not a single child suffering from urinary tract infections. Inmates suffer from seasonal skin disease, which is common among all children. They receive adequate medical care.
The home in Fancy Bazar is the first drop-in centre. A visitor may be shocked to see the lack of facilities. Children picked up from the streets cannot be given all comforts as they will feel out of place and will go back to the streets.
The children are expected to keep the place clean. But it takes a long time for a child coming from the streets to give up his unhygienic habits. The inmates sleep on mattresses laid on the floor with blankets and mosquito nets.
The retention rate at the Snehalaya homes is over 95 per cent. Why?
If the children are not happy, if they do not receive the facilities they need, would they stay on?
Fr Joseph Thelekkatt,
Principal, Don Bosco High School, Guwahati
The state health department, it seems, is on a roll these days, announcing schemes with a huge amount of investment. It all looks good on paper but the question is when will these schemes bear fruit and be ready for people? It has been seen that schemes are announced with great fanfare and hullabaloo and after a couple of years they fade into oblivion.
It is good to see that after many years the government is showing a keen interest and going in for a massive overhaul of the health system. The quality of infrastructure created should also be taken care of so that it remains in good shape after many years.
The schemes should not have an urban bias but should also focus on rural areas. It is encouraging that the National Rural Health Mission will help in securing funds for the rural areas in the state.
The question is what happens after the tenure of the mission gets over. Will the institutions be well- maintained or degenerate?
Ashok Barua,
Betkuchi, Guwahati
The recently released State of the Environment Report: Assam is an eye-opener. It reveals that the situation in the urban areas of the state is far from good and steps have to be taken to protect the environment.
The report reveals that the volume of wastewater in the urban areas has been increasing constantly with the increase in population, industries and other activities. It says there is no urban wastewater treatment plant in cities of the state, including Guwahati.
The pitiable collection and disposal mechanism of municipal solid wastes has also been highlighted in the report.
The report says that development of infrastructure in the urban centres of the state is not up to the mark as it is reflected in the quality of urban life in the state. It is high time that the revelations made in the report are taken seriously and not dumped into the waste bin.
Shekhar Kakoti,
Hengerabari, Guwahati
Buying power seems to be the cheapest option for the government these days in order to address the grievances of the people who have been agitating for a solution to the present power crisis. All this means that the consumers will now have to pay more as the government has to shell out money for the power it is buying.
There are many power traders from whom power can be bought and supplied to the authorities. But the matter does not end here. The government must be sure of the credibility of the traders from whom it is buying power.
Continuous power shortage and resorting to constant loadshedding is another problem which the government is finding difficult to grapple with. But has buying power meant getting rid of powercuts? No, not at all.
There have been long hours of loadshedding in the past few weeks which has worsened the situation.
To solve the crisis, the transmission systems have to be strengthened to absorb power.
Sumit Deka,
Fatasil Ambari,Guwahati
