Cremation: Duty of a civilised society
The news that a family of a Bastora resident was denied permission to cremate the deceased at the village crematorium because he died of COVID 19 is shocking. Cremating or burying a person after death is a basic right of a citizen. It is the duty of a civilised society to give a deceased a dignified cremation or burial.
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This is not the first case in the said village. Two weeks ago, permission for cremation is said to have been denied in another similar case. Whatever excuses may be given now, we have to shed all fears and inhibitions of cremating the body of a deceased who succumbed to COVID and ask ourselves one question. Where should we cremate the persons if we refuse to cremate him/her in our village? Hope that better sense will prevail and that such incidents will not take place in Goa in future.
Rodney de Souza, Assagao
Spruce up medical facilities
This is in reference to the Herald editorial dated May 11 ‘Use curfew period to augment infrastructure, procure equipment’. The editorial has put it rightly, use curfew period to augment infrastructure and procure equipment. Yes, in fact the Central and state governments across the country have apparently missed the boat. All earlier lockdowns have been wasted. Those were the times the authorities should have used for building up infrastructure, ramping up medical facilities, mobilising a large medical workforce to face this unprecedented pandemic which had now touched gigantic proportions. Instead, we wasted our energies, efforts, time in clanging thalis, lighting diyas and all such nonsense stuff. And the government felt a false sense of pride in doing all this tamasha. Even at this stage, whether curfew or no curfew, the authorities need to spruce up all medical facilities to ensure that not a single life is lost due to non-availability of oxygen, ICU beds or other medication. Simultaneously, the Central government ought to get organized and ensure maximum vaccination in the shortest possible time. Presently, there is complete chaos on the vaccination scene, complete mismanagement. The government owes it to the citizens of this country. Are they listening?
Melville X D’Souza, Mumbai
Let’s stay home, help save ourselves
The Dr Pramod Sawant-led BJP government has now imposed a State-wide curfew for 15 days to fight the rapid spread of the second wave of the coronavirus that is devastating the State after casually inviting/allowing hordes of domestic tourists from neighbouring States for months to roam around in large groups (despite of several warnings from medical experts about the possible surge of the second wave of the coronavirus this summer in the State) and to have a party time without even following any SOPs in Goa.
Well, I personally feel that the Chief Minister, Dr Pramod Sawant and some of his close ministers alone should be held accountable for the current rapid spread of the second wave of the coronavirus cases in the State because instead of taking extra precautions or sealing all the neighbouring borders, they were more interested in welcoming/ entertaining/pampering all the domestic tourists for months even from red zone States to make things worse as they somehow wanted the show to go on to fill their pockets in Goa. Unfortunately, today what has happened? Yes, this arrogance show of theirs has gone out of hand and is currently taking its toll in a big way in Goa. It has unnecessarily brought self-disaster on most Goans, not just in the towns but even in all the interior villages of the State. Unfortunately, now who is going to halt the ongoing show of untimely deaths of all the innocent Goans in Goa?
I think that we Goans should henceforth stop relying on politicians and ourselves learn to take extra precautions/ responsibilities of protecting our own families from every situation in Goa. Yeah, let’s strictly stay home, help each other and save ourselves and our families from today’s most crucial times of the ongoing pandemic crisis in Goa….. Viva Goa, viva Goenkar…
Jerry Fernandes, Saligao
What is govt’s priority?
India is in the grip of a severe pandemic and what is the priority of the government, to save lives or to undertake huge projects worth thousands of crore?
A TV channel has shown a Gurudwara in Delhi which has opened a 500-beded COVID-19 hospital with all the facilities including oxygen free of cost. Even a noted Bollywood star has donated Rs 2 crore towards the hospital.
When the people are dying on the streets for shortage of hospital beds and oxygen why can’t the PM who according to his own words was a ‘Chaiwala’ and a ‘garib maa ka beta’ not understand the plight of the poor and suffering people of the country and give up his indulgence to live a luxurious lifestyle and wear new clothes?
The BJP government and BJP voters must question the PM and answer the questions asked by the people and the media both local and international if this kind of indulgence can be pardoned when the people are struggling to breathe and live.
Matias Lobo, Tivim
Clinging on to power by hook or by crook
After messing up the whole COVID fightback and then blaming all and sundry for its abject failures, the Centre now wants to muzzle judicial intervention in executive affairs. There was a ray of hope for the country when the Supreme Court appointed a 12-member committee consisting of eminent doctors, educationists and other stakeholders to suggest and implement mitigation measures against the havoc wreaked by the pandemic. But in a not so veiled ‘ warning’ (threat would be more accurate) to the SC , the Centre asserted that in the context of a global pandemic there is little room for judicial ‘interference’ and that any overzealous though well meaning judicial activism would have unforeseen and unintended consequences. The government also emphasised that in times of grave crisis the ‘ wisdom’ of the executive needs to be ‘trusted’. Trust and wisdom are alien to the present dispensation; their only aim is to cling on to power by hook or by crook. To further assert its supremacy against the Apex Court’s expanding sphere of influence and superintendence, the Centre withheld details of oxygen distribution and logistics as sought by the learned judges; it also justified it’s disastrous vaccine policy as ‘well thought out’ in supplementary arguments .It is as clear as day that the Centre has many skeletons hiding in its closet which it doesn’t want the judiciary to uncover for that would mar its already battered image.
Going forward, my sense is that the well meaning SC with a pro-active Chief Justice shall slowly be brought to heel as we have seen happening with all constitutional institutions in India. There is only so much that an emasculated judiciary can do and no further. Cry my beloved country even your last hope to survive the onslaught of the virus has been extinguished.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Feed innocents
The decision to approve financial support for feeding stray animals in Odisha is a step in the right direction. The stray dogs and cattle are deprived of food during this lockdown period. The State Government has sanctioned Rs 60 lakh from the CM relief fund. The funds are available in five municipal corporations, 48 municipalities, and 61 notified area councils. The urban local bodies provide food to stray animals through various voluntary organisations. Feeding innocent animals is really a praiseworthy move towards saving their lives. We also need to initiate steps to feed our surrounding birds and animals. Collective efforts are necessary to survive this pandemic.
Amit Singh Kushwaha, Satna (MP)
