The people from Meghalaya and its capital town Shillong is proudly claimed the Shillong town as 'Shillong City' since last few years.I will be proud to hear this since I belong to this town. The originally known as Shillong station as a hill station from the days of imperial /colonial rule this beautiful hill station fulfilled all criteria to be called like that.After British left the country, people of Shillong were used to claim this little station as Shillong Town. But the scenario has changed gradually after globalisation and the unplanned buildings started rising above the sky and the beauty of hill station or the scenic beauty for which Shillong was famous for had lost gradually and the town changed into a concrete jungle over the years. People of the centre are least bothered about nature and friendly co existence of human and nature has lost totally. Meanwhile big international brand of commercial benefit/ eateries entered in the town,of late few moderate hotels came up mall culture and multiplexes made people mad and they started claiming that their town has become a city. But whether it genuinely fulfils all the parameter to become a city in real sense. Let us examine the primary prerequisites for a town to be upgraded to a city in this article and try to analyse with a reference to Shillong and we will estimate if the claim is genuine :
01. Health Care : A city is required to have best health care for its population. Government hospitals and private hospitals must be equipped with all types machinaries and equipment for all types of medical emergency.There must be some pharmacies around hospital area r its vicinity serving the patients with all types of medicines and other at least for 14 to 16 hours daily if not 24x7. Numbers of government owned ambulances like 108 to be available to citizens on a phone call away only.
Reference to Shillong :
The report of the Estimates Committee of the Assembly that the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine kept for better diagnosis of ailments, which was procured in 2012 by the Shillong Civil Hospital has not been functioning and also not repaired due to the high cost is appalling. If a government hospital situated in the heart of the state capital is languishing without an important and modern diagnostic equipment then we can well imagine the kind of health care the rural population are getting.
Private hospitals like Woodlands etc and missionary hospital like Nazareth are having instruments but sometimes it becomes very costly affairs to common people. NEG RIMS has become a white elephant for us because it lacks proper number of doctors and permanent director is always absent. If any director is posted from outside , they never give proper attention to hospital since they count their days to go back.
Education :
A city requires primary educational institutions like Engineering, Medical, College of veterinary science and many other Government and private high school and higher secondary schools. Number of Universities and other vocational institutions
Reference to Shillong :
Although literacy is very high in the state 74.43 %as per 2011 census, the picture of proper education is not at all rosy despite of presence of few very good school both for boys and girls in the town. The pathetic state of affairs of education at the elementary level in our state is responsible for the high drop out rate at the secondary level and also for the low pass percentage at the SSLC examinations which lingers on at 46%. When a strong foundation at the primary level is not laid, the students proceeding to the secondary and higher secondary levels find themselves unable to cope up with the teachings and syllabi in the higher classes, hence to avoid embarrassments, humiliations and the pressure from parents and teachers, the best option is to drop out or even if they continue they add to the high percentage of failures at the SSLC examinations.
Teachers of these errant schools are also found to engage substitutes to take their classes throughout the academic year. Students from these types of schools hardly learn simple arithmetic such as addition and subtraction or even the alphabets after completing their elementary education. It is shocking but true that ghost schools still exist in many parts of our state.
Students those who complete secondary level or senior secondary level they migrate to other state in main land in the absence of a Medical college or certified Engineering College. The State got one University establish long 45 years back and after that Government has not taken any initiative to get second university.Although the town is proud to have an Indian Institute of Management but, presence of local students and teachers are limited there.There is a common friction of interest among different race and no one is interested to bell the cat.
Communication :
A city must be well by air, rail and roadway and all major metros, tier I, tier II and even tier III cities of the country is having no exception. The local public transport system within the city must be maintained properly by the government for its citizens.The city must be well connected with with other parts of the country.
Reference to Shillong :
The town lacked the railway connectivity which cheapest mode of transportation of both goods and passenger. Although the hilly terrain of the town is around 1500 meters from sea level, it could be feasible and possible to connect the place with nearest rail head at Guwahati which is only about 100 km away from Shillong.The connectivity though air is also by name sake only since no regular flights goes from the small airfield located at a place named Umroi which is around 30 km from the town. Moreover proximity of Guwahati Airport marred the optimum utilisation of this airfield. Only mode of popular communication is by motor able road and is maintained excellently. However number of bus run from state government towards Guwahati and back is not many.Passengers mostly depend upon small cars and SUV to travel to and fro Shillong.
Now, the most important aspect of a city is local transport i.e Government run city bus service. In cities government city bus opens before six in morning and retires for night around 11 p m. Considering the coolness in weather at Shillong this may start around 8.00 am and to run through all routes till 10.30 pm. The town has not many city bus and does not go all routes.General public can not depend up on this skeleton service and only dependable local transport for people is taxi and three wheeler auto rickshaws.
Miscellany: The town has got many standard eateries in recent past but do not continue to serve people up to 10.00 p m.Only a few moderate hotels came up in recent past but only old faithful Pinewood Asoka is located at a prime spot with excellent service. Of course recently Tripura Castle has come up with good service and comforts and a resort named Ri Kinjai about 15 km from town is comfortable for visitors. Movie goes can not enjoy night show or evening shows of movies although two three multiplexes have come in recent time due to communication problem. Those who have their one vehicle do not face much problem in late evening after 9..30 p m. but ordinary public regularly face such commuting problem as taxis asks exorbitant price as per their whims and fancies. Thus Shillong Town lacks in many criteria to get the tag of a CITY in real time and will continue to be a TOWN until these lacunae are removed from the tag of this beautiful town.
A city must be well by air, rail and roadway and all major metros, tier I, tier II and even tier III cities of the country is having no exception. The local public transport system within the city must be maintained properly by the government for its citizens.The city must be well connected with with other parts of the country.
Reference to Shillong :
The town lacked the railway connectivity which cheapest mode of transportation of both goods and passenger. Although the hilly terrain of the town is around 1500 meters from sea level, it could be feasible and possible to connect the place with nearest rail head at Guwahati which is only about 100 km away from Shillong.The connectivity though air is also by name sake only since no regular flights goes from the small airfield located at a place named Umroi which is around 30 km from the town. Moreover proximity of Guwahati Airport marred the optimum utilisation of this airfield. Only mode of popular communication is by motor able road and is maintained excellently. However number of bus run from state government towards Guwahati and back is not many.Passengers mostly depend upon small cars and SUV to travel to and fro Shillong.
Now, the most important aspect of a city is local transport i.e Government run city bus service. In cities government city bus opens before six in morning and retires for night around 11 p m. Considering the coolness in weather at Shillong this may start around 8.00 am and to run through all routes till 10.30 pm. The town has not many city bus and does not go all routes.General public can not depend up on this skeleton service and only dependable local transport for people is taxi and three wheeler auto rickshaws.
Miscellany: The town has got many standard eateries in recent past but do not continue to serve people up to 10.00 p m.Only a few moderate hotels came up in recent past but only old faithful Pinewood Asoka is located at a prime spot with excellent service. Of course recently Tripura Castle has come up with good service and comforts and a resort named Ri Kinjai about 15 km from town is comfortable for visitors. Movie goes can not enjoy night show or evening shows of movies although two three multiplexes have come in recent time due to communication problem. Those who have their one vehicle do not face much problem in late evening after 9..30 p m. but ordinary public regularly face such commuting problem as taxis asks exorbitant price as per their whims and fancies. Thus Shillong Town lacks in many criteria to get the tag of a CITY in real time and will continue to be a TOWN until these lacunae are removed from the tag of this beautiful town.
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