Souza Lobo attack
Souza Lobo is an iconic and World famous restaurant known for its authentic Goan food. Since this is the third attack on the restaurant, it is obviously clear that the first two attacks have seen no action against the culprits, thus emboldening the culprits to attack the restaurant at will.
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Our Goan brother is being attacked by an outsider and this should not be acceptable to all Goans. The same thing could happen to any other Goan establishment with impunity. If there were more than 50 assailants how come we hear of only 5 arrests?
The owner of the restaurant has rightly mentioned that the matter will have to be taken to the streets if this attack goes unpunished and the harassment continues. We are with you brother.
Michael Silveira, Divar
Is Goa going or gone?
The recent attack on a famous restaurant located at Calangute, Queen of Goa’s beach is perhaps a first in India. The reason is supposedly ‘business rivalry.’ Nowhere along any beaches have such an incident taken place although ‘business rivalry’ exists. It is generally a matter of live, let live and thrive since no one wants to kill the golden goose, that is the footfalls of tourists. It is also disheartening to read about the rising crime rates in Goa, though the official statistics will reveal another picture. Let us not debate on this.
Goa is well-known for her sun, shore and sand and these are getting replaced with sons, shady people and (illegal) sand miners. Fish, food and feni are replaced with fools, fast and chaat foods and adulterated Feni. Dances, dodol and quite docile people are replaced with dance bars, drugs and dangerous people. To the list we need to add cocktails (drinks, drugs), casinos, and ‘pleasure’ cruises. The neo-culture of guns, goons and gumption is resulting in spilling of people’s guts and fading of Goa’s glory.
Some days we wonder if Goa is becoming like the Wild West of yore of the USA, where it was ‘shoot first, ask later.’ Once known as a susegado State, Goa is slowly sinking into a State of suspended animation, subversion and sin. Goa’s characteristics are being swapped with and swamped by various atrocities. The political class with the help of the people need to stop this slow metamorphism of Goa before matters go out of hands. Hope it is does not become a case of bolting the stable door after the horses have fled and we lament “Sorrowing was my land, but we did nothing to stem the rot.”
Sridhar D’Iyer, Caranzalem
Implementation is a challenge
Most wedding hall owners find the government’s directives to permit entry of only fully vaccinated guests or those carrying a -ve test report unfeasible. The vax certificate carries the photo of the PM, not the beneficiary so the same document can be used by multiple people to gain entry to functions.
Wedding halls are typically open air venues with multiple entry and exits unlike clubs or discos which usually have only one or two; in addition, the wedding venue is abuzz with caterers, decorators, photographers, artistes, etc,and with a paucity of staff it is difficult to check their vax status. Even guests who don’t carry the requisite papers are not turned away for fear of inviting the wrath of the client and subsequent loss of business. Venue owners are also miffed with them being blamed for the spread of the virus even as the government merrily allows everyone to enter the State borders sans restrictions.
No mention is being made about election rallies and meetings which attract large crowds, has the sarkar put in place a mechanism to check the vax certificates of the attendees? Door to door campaigns promising freebies are being run by the politicians which are nothing but enablers of the virus’ tandav of disease and death. Rallies during the day and curfew at night makes no sense, the damage has already been done. If the government does not follow its own SOPs how does it expect the janta to comply with them ? To these netas I can only say, practise what you preach.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim.
New Year: A time for new beginnings
New Year is a time to celebrate the start of something new. It is a time to make new promises some to be broken and some to be kept. It is also a time to look ahead and try to change things for the better. It is also a time to look behind and see what we may have done wrong, and how to change it. It is also an occasion to start new friendships and request for forgiveness from your enemies. New Year is a joyous time because we feel like we get to start all over again.
On New Year’s Day, people are happy, laughing, giggling and sharing about events of the past year and those before. For children, a new year feels incomplete without these three things — Christmas Tree, New Year party along with new clothes and the mandatory New Year essay as a part of their winter holidays homework.
To me, New Year is a day one needs to wake up early in the morning and see the sun rise. It is a day to pray to God and congratulate Mother Earth for completing one revolution. It is a day to ask for the earth’s blessings to be grounded and simple like her as an earthling.
Jubel D’Cruz, Mumbai
The leader needs to trust his colleagues
Apropos to the editorial “Detentions, were they necessary?” (Herald December 31, 2021), each and every word written in the editorial is right. The government caves in to the demands of protestors. But not before making a mess of everything. Why does it happen?
The problem is the incumbent chief minister Dr Pramod Sawant Bab does not have a man Friday who has his ears on the ground. CM’s insistence on handling everything without involving anybody creates an impression that neither he trusts his colleagues nor he believes in team work. That said, Dr Pramod Sawant Bab should create a team of loyal babus and delegate them this type of tasks.
Police are not pressed into action and the use of force is bare minimum. Can somebody please advise Dr Pramod Sawant Bab that in democracy ministers should trust their team mates to handle complex situations? Dr Pramod Sawant Bab should smile a little while talking to press.
Gafaar Shaqoor, Margao
Covid worsening in Goa?
Covid cases are rising in our tiny State of Goa and all the newspapers report that the crisis is worsening in this State. This could be the failure to curb entry in the borders and crowding on all the beaches of Goa. The weddings and entertainment halls including cinema theatres are also seeing large crowds. The Government must take strict measures to implement directions to authorities such as police, municipalities, panchayats and corporation to supervise and stop crowds assembling in large numbers.
Also I have seen near my residence hundreds of people every day and even after late hours crowding for jobs with Health Minister Vishwajit Rane encouraging and allowing them to attend interviews inside his Bungalow at Dona Paula. Similarly every politician is suddenly trying to help the voters in their area to get jobs without realising the crowds are getting larger and larger which surely will affect the virus spread in Goa. This must be curtailed immediately before an alarming situation worsens in this state. It lies on our Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to give such directives to his politicians to stop encouraging crowds seeking jobs. Applications for jobs should be entertained only by government authorities through proper channels and not by politicians at their residences.
Stephen Dias, Dona Paula
