Reasi attack: Enhance security measures
On Sunday, just before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony in New Delhi, a tragic incident unfolded in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
A bus carrying pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh and Delhi fell into a gorge after terrorists fired upon it, claiming the lives of at least 10 individuals, including three women and a child, and injuring 33 others.
The pilgrims were travelling to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra. Reportedly, Pakistan-backed The Resistance Front (TRF) has claimed responsibility for the terror attack. This incident highlights the ongoing danger from terrorist groups based in Pakistan, who aim to incite unrest and rekindle militancy in the Jammu area.
According to defence experts, India had invited dignitaries from all the neighbourhood countries except Pakistan for the swearing-in ceremony of Modi and the council of ministers. Since the attack occurred at that moment, its objective is very clear.
Incidental a few hours later India played Pakistan in the ongoing T-20 World Cup in the US. It is pertinent to note that no cricket was played between the two countries between 1962 and 1977 due to two major wars in 1965 and 1971.
The 1999 Kargil War and the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks have also interrupted cricketing ties between the two nations. Shouldn’t India stop playing cricket with Pakistan after the Reasi terror attack? The incident has highlighted the urgent need for enhanced security measures and vigilance in order to prevent such heinous acts in the future.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Where should MPLADS go?
The article on Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) last Sunday was very apt and timely. The writer has done a thorough job on gathering information on the subject and presented it well. The views of a few citizens are also well taken.
An MP is allotted Rs 25 crore for a five-year term. We, in Goa, have two MPs elected in North and South districts. Both receive a total of Rs 50 crore over a period of five years.
I have no objection to how and where the funds are spent. Most MPs utilise the funds to the optimum.
The allocation is done through the District Collectors of the respective districts. There are clear-cut guidelines for spending the funds.
A few thoughts:
1. Has a need assessment survey been done in each constituency of the district before deciding on the allocation?
2. If some infrastructure can be met through officially by government funding, why should the MP funds be used? There are government departments to look into these areas.
3. Is there a review done of all the projects sanctioned to check whether they are used and maintained properly? We see there are a couple of white elephants all over due to misplaced priorities.
4. Do the MPs form any committees for this purpose as soon as they are elected to oversee the need in their district?
5. Are the funds allocated prudently and judicially irrespective of the number of votes polled in that area?
These were a few thoughts which were at the back of my mind after reading your article. MPLADS is a great initiative. May it continue.
Tilroy Fernandes, Velim
Mandrake turns 90!
That Mandrake the magician, the legendary comic book hero, who mesmerised the kids and the adults during the 1950s, 1960s, 1980s and 1990s, turns 90 this month, which is amazing and incredible because the famous magician remains the same though his fans have turned grey!
Conceived by noted comic creator Lee Falk in 1930, Mandrake, the master of illusion, is considered the first superhero comic strip ever. Mandrake began publication on June 11, 1934.
The kids of those beautiful decades cherish all his daring and colourful adventures and those who are comic book buffs shall definitely have copies of this comic book icon along with the other comics.
His fantastic house called Xanadu and his soulmate Narda , his friends Lothar, Karma, Hojo, Theron and his college of magic, his enemy the cobra and his adventures as crime fighter, remain etched in the minds of old-timers.
The kids and comic buffs of yesteryears not only set sail with Mandrake and his team to fight against the villains around the globe but they also had opportunities to know about telekinetics, invisibility, shapeshifting, levitation and teleportation which in this cyber era these have become reality subjects and topics of hi-fi science. These during those days improved our imagination, language skills and enhanced our reading skills and ignited creative thinking. They definitely gave us long lasting clean clear ‘infotainment’.
M Pradyu, Kannur
Oppn unity will keep NDA govt in check
Apropos editorial ‘The Opposition now has a greater responsibility’ (June 11), as India returns to the coalition era after a gap of 10 years with Narendra Modi-led government, the Opposition has a major role to ensure that the institutions of the country function and that it remains democratic upholding constitutional values.
For this to happen, the Opposition needs to function as a well-knit coalition. As Congress and allies of INDIA Bloc have won large seats in the country, they are bound to repose faith in voters who voted them to power. In fact, a lot of responsibilities rest on Rahul Gandhi’s shoulders and he will have to prove his mettle. If the INDIA front unity holds and the constituents focus sharply on anti-incumbency, the chances of a better electoral performance in upcoming Assembly elections in Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Delhi and Bihar.
Importantly, the Opposition has to be cautious in keeping its flock together as BJP has a history of dividing and splitting its allies in the States and there is no reason why it would not try it at the Centre as well.
It will be up to Rahul Gandhi, whom the party has named as the Leader of Opposition, to ensure that consensus becomes the language of transaction and also to force the government to speak in such terms.
Gregory Fernandes, Mumbai
