Is Cong digging its own political grave?
Who does the Congress needs to declare as it’s candidate for the South Goa parliamentary seat in the coming Lok Sabha elections in Goa?I would like to congratulate the O Heraldo for bringing out the full electoral career record (Assembly and Lok Sabha) of two Congress ticket aspirants, namely Francisco Sardinha and Girish Chodankar who have contested Lok Sabha elections on the front page on 1st April 2024 to show who is really capable of successfully defeating the BJP candidate and has the possibility of still winning the South Goa parliamentary seat in the coming Lok Sabha elections in Goa.
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Well, after looking at the track record of the above two leaders, I feel that the Congress needs to again declare the name of sitting MP, Former Chief Minister, Former Speaker Francisco Sardinha as it’s candidate for the South Goa parliamentary seat as he alone has a proven track record of having won the same seat four times with the support of both the majority community and the minorities in Goa.
Yes, the Congress will dig it’s own political grave if it’s top leaders finally decide to name Girish Chodankar (despite of seeing his entire political track record) as it’s candidate for the South Goa parliamentary seat because this will give the BJP candidate Pallavi Dempo a golden opportunity, if not a walk-over to easily win the South Goa parliamentary seat by a very huge margin this time in Goa.
Jerry Fernandes, Saligao
Diagnosing autism early is crucial
Developmental disorder that it is, a person with autism tends to withdraw into a shell due to impaired ability to communicate with the surroundings. Also termed Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), speech and non-verbal interaction are hampered in autism compelling the affected to go through a repetitive behaviour. Diagnosable as early as one year, proper scientific intervention can mitigate the developmental problems to a large extent for the same reason.
The wide spectrum of autism also means an individual can live with the two extremes — seriously challenged or perfectly normal. The puzzling ways of autism — that often goes undetected till later life — have made the disorder a professional challenge. There are specific milestones in a child’s developmental curve, and parents should know what to expect of their little ones at appropriate stages in life.
Slight deviation should propel a parent to seek the guidance of experts: paediatrician or psychologist. ‘Autism’, is ‘autos’ from Greek and the ‘self-isolation’ requires a comprehensive and empathetic observance and evaluation. Known to run in the family, the unknown cause of autism makes it interesting to professionals who have relied mainly on behavioural therapy and language therapy to corner the disorder denoting a marked shift from the past. Correcting accompanying deficiencies and psychological disorders go hand-in-hand.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola
Use of rubber waste in road construction
For long, Goa has been grappling with the problem of newly constructed roads developing pot-holes even after a single monsoon season. Roads with pot-holes spell danger for road-users as several accidents have been attributed to the poor condition of roads.
It is pertinent to note that the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways directed the Kerala State Government to use rubber in road construction. It also suggested blending of the natural rubber with tar mixture as it is evaluated to be good for the safety of passengers. It also helps the constructed roads last longer.
The rubber particles enhance certain properties of both the bitumen, resulting in a better road surface. Rubber is strong, it can be stretched without breaking, it is resistant to corrosion, it is waterproof, and it works as an electrical insulator. An immense problem affecting environmental pollution is the increase of waste tyres of vehicles. The transformation of waste into wealth to improve sustainability has resulted in increased research and implementation of new innovations. The use of rubber modified asphalt for road construction has benefits ranging from environmental to economic. Roads built using rubber modified asphalt are not only quieter and more comfortable to drive on but also significantly safer, due to the materials increased flexibility and skid resistance. Goa PWD (Roads) needs to look into the use of waste rubber from car tyres in road construction.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Panjimities are choking on dust pollution
Roads are dug up over and over again in Panjim at every nook and corner for smart city project works and the work seems to have no end in sight. Dust can be seen rising everywhere along the streets causing hardship to everyone. It has also led health hazard and dust pollution for people of Panjim thus creating confusion among motorists and commuters as they try to manoeuvre their way through traffic congestions.
Bad roads and potholes in Goa are an all-season malady. The political leaders everytime before election enamoures by the quality of the roads in European cities and wishes that Goa should emulate them on road in city. Poor road quality is always a major issue in Goa. This is one aspect the city never gets right due to various reasons. Even Union Minister for Road and NH Nitin Gadkari had said that, before 2024, Indian Roads will be like American roads. The sufferings of the common man are never ending and development takes a beating. In fact, the system has made a mockery.
K G Vilop, Chorao
Thought provoking write-up on integrity
The article ‘Being true to yourself’ by Ibonio D’Souza (O Heraldo, April 1, 2024) was certainly thought provoking and insightful on the subject of integrity. Yes, very sadly, in today’s mad, ‘man eating man’ world, integrity has taken a severe beating. Values like integrity, morality, ethics are taboo not just to our politicians but perhaps, to a large number of people. Many will not bat an eyelid as they try to show their superiority over the others, to show that they’re the boss, no matter even if they’re wrong.
The story of the trainee nurse was appropriate and proves the point.
You need to be true to yourself, only then can you say to yourself that you have lived a fuller life. You need to recognise the goodness in others. “Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not”, says Oprah Winfrey. Something to think about.
Melville X D’Souza, Mumbai
