Talking of roads in Assam, the Lokhra road in Guwahati, passing through Lal Ganesh - and I have talked about it before as well - are probably the worst in any part of the state (perhaps India as well), worse than the craters of the moon.
There is even a news item on this one on Assam Tribune. People protesting (surprising but good) and them getting Lathi charged - the MLA/MP from the area obviously turning a blind eye for a long time. ASSAM TRIBUNE Police lathicharge protesters in Lokhra By A Staff Reporter GUWAHATI, April 11– Several persons were injured when police resorted to lathicharge at Lalganesh area in the city this afternoon to disperse a crowd of people who were blocking the Lokhra road in protest against the failure of the authorities to repair the road. Police also arrested hundreds of persons taking part in the agitational programme under the banner of the Dakshin Guwahati Unnayan Samannoyrakhsi Samiti and the city unit of the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva-Chattra Parishad (AJYCP), from various parts of the Ambari Cycle Factory-Lokhra area like Ambari Cycle Factory, Lokhra and Lalganesh. Mentionably, the people of the localities on the Lokhra Road have been agitating for quite a long time now protesting the apathy of the authorities towards improving the condition of the road. The State administration had about two months back, announced a programme to improve the condition of the road. But the people of the localities have resented that the announcement of the Government was only a step to hoodwink the common people. --- Barua25 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > AKN: > I am not at all surprised at your findings, and I am > so glad that you are trying to get to the bottom of > things. But is not it shocking though?. How can > Assamese civil engineers be so far behind the rest > of India? Apparently Assam has not progressed at all > from the pre independence British days. How can the > people of Assam have allowed this to happen? But > looking at the conditions of the roads in Assam, one > can be sure that something must be terribly wrong in > the system. What is news however is the fact that > this is not a news at all to the Assamese media. A > typical Hob Diok mentality again. There is no > investigative journalism, no serious reporting from > any quarter. Litikai Assamese media and the public > is happy to tag along India and publish whatever > garbage the mainland India consider as news: like > Chief Minister Modi's visa denial and what not. It > is always a wonder to me how can there be so much > apathy on the part of the people of Assam?. What is > the reason? Why it is not a news to Assam, why the > people of Assam are revolting? Why? Why? > > While writing these lines, an answer came to my > mind. I think it is because the situation in Assam > is so hopeless (or the people feel so hpeless) that > the general public donot have any faith in the > system at all. There is a deeper reason for this for > this lack of faith. I think today Assamese societies > are pregnant with ideas like : that they are living > in 'koli kal' and this is the way it is, that there > is corruption everywhere in India, that it is even > worse outside Assam, that one cannot believe > anyone, that the Indian system is about to collapse > if not already broken and that it a question of time > only when something terrible will happen. With such > ideas in their brain, it is easy for them to believe > that the main reason Assam is underdeveloped is that > GOI is exploiitng Assam and that they are not giving > enough money to Assam etc. In such atmosphere, they > cannot see the reality that the system is breaking > mainly in Assam, and the Assamese people need to > stand up on their own and that if we need to fix > anthything we must start with the system in Assam > and not in Gujarat or Delhi. > > One way to enlighten the people is to write this > type of investigative report and show the people the > reality. The road construction may be one case, but > there are many. Anjan, frankly speaking you should > take this 'Road Construction' in Assam a typical > case in point and try to go the bottom. If you want > to write, I would give all my supports. This net may > not be the right platform for our discussion, and if > necessary we will go offline and do some > investigative research. You can write a series of > articles in Assam News paper or you can write a book > in plain road construction. I don't mind being a co > author and contribute something on road construction > in America and South America. The roads in Brazil > will be interesting to know because they are in the > similar type of rainforest. You should also try to > find out what they are doing in Burma and Thailand. > I believe if you can write such a book, your late > father would be happy. What do you say to that? > > Well it may sound like a bit high thinking, But we > must start somewhere, and you have already started. > All I am trying to do is to give you some ideas and > say: Don't stop. There will be many people like me > who would like to see this type of writing. > > Thanks > Rajen > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Anjan K. Nath > To: Barua25 > Cc: assam@pikespeak.uccs.edu > Sent: Monday, April 11, 2005 12:58 AM > Subject: [Assam] Re: Roads in Assam > > > Rajen, > Thanks for the suggestion of writing at length > about the roads of Assam. I have often though about > it and even went to the extention of getting a > "Schedule of Construction" of the PWD, Assam. I was > really very surprised and taken quite a back when I > saw that the schedule for the construction, repair > and maintenance of roads were exactly the same as > when my father served in the Assam PWD under British > rule. In fact most of the standards are directly > taken from my father's book, "A Handbook for Civil > Engineers;" a book which he had written to guide > laymen who were put under his charge during World > War II when they were constructing the Indo-Burma > road. > > No offense to my father. I can proudly say that > none of his bridges or roads have collapsed or been > washed away since he joined the Assam Engineering > Services in 1926. I also might mention that details > of construction used in Assam-type houses like, > bamoo-crete, eckra-crete etc. are his contributions > and they not largely been improved upon since. > > I wonder if you visited the Road Research > Institute at Cherrapunjee? Interestingly, the road > in front of their labs are just wonderful, but the > other parts have much to be desired. Of late, > though, there ahs been much improvement in the roads > of Meghalaya. I understand that the private firm > (NBCCI or some such) who are presently in charge of > the major roads around Guwahati follow totally > different specifications from that of the local PWD. > So you see, there are better ways of doing things > if only we would accept them and not always resort > to the one-up-manship game that we are known for. > > Cannot say "Hobo-diok" to this one. > > Anjan > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Barua25 > To: Anjan K. Nath > Cc: assam@pikespeak.uccs.edu > Sent: Friday, April 08, 2005 8:20 PM > Subject: Roads in Assam > > > AKN: > Thanks. > > >I have often stood and watched road > construction here and once I wrote a sarcastic > letter to the editor (Assam Tribune) about the > >Assam PWD not knowing how to construct roads. > > Frankly speaking, I am also of the same opinion. > I donot know how exactly the roads in Assam are > constructed. But looking at the annual detoriation > of the AT Road, I think probably Assam is just > following the road construction methods which may be > good for Delhi and other dry climate place. I donot > think Assamese Engineers have developed a good road > construction method which is good for the Assam > humid and rainy climate. (No offense to your > father). Every year, Assam spends most its energy > in fixing the same roads again and again. Compared > to roads in Gujarat and other states, one feel how > at the bottom of the ladder, litikai Assam is > completely oblivious of what is going on outside > Assam. > > I donot think all this poor quality Assam roads > can be solely blamed to corruption of Assam PWD > although a big part may be due to this. Then again, > in Assam, like any other states, there are two PWDs: > The State and the GOI. I have seen the GOI National > roads in Arunachal pradeish seem to be better than > GOA roads. > > I was alawuys thinking of going to the bottom of > this, and still wish somebody would do this so that > we know what exactly what is happening > > May be you can get the road construction detail > of Taiwan, and write an article (or book) comparing > what is going on in Assam. That will open eyes of > our Mr Tarun Gogoi and his party. > > Rajen > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > _______________________________________________ > Assam mailing list > Assam@pikespeak.uccs.edu > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam > > Mailing list FAQ: > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/assam/assam-faq.html > To unsubscribe or change options: > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/options/assam > > _______________________________________________ > Assam mailing list > Assam@pikespeak.uccs.edu > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam > > Mailing list FAQ: > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/assam/assam-faq.html > To unsubscribe or change options: > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/options/assam > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! 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