Criminal neglect of Panjim city works
The Goa government, Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited, Public Works Department, concerned contractors, MLA of Panjim constituency and the Mayor of Corporation of the City of Panaji are to be charged for criminal conspiracy, amounting to gross dereliction of duty for having been found grossly lacking in responsibility in taking up the sewerage system work in a hurry only to avail of the funds and having caused immense hardships to the people. They have destroyed water pipelines, LPG pipes and optical fibre cables, thus leading to unprecedented damage to underground system. This has led to degradation of the city roads and utilities through sheer neglect with none wanting to take the blame. The mere appointing of a new head to the IPSCDL does not mean that last minute and thorough remedy to the people of Panjim can be, salvaged as the damage caused is considerable and cannot be fixed at this eleventh hour to prevent flooding in the city. All the drains have to be cleaned at least and the roads asphalted, so that relatively smoother flow of traffic can be restored in the monsoon. As all of those responsible are raising their hands, they should be sued in the court and face severe punishment for the pathetic state of affairs that they have plunged the people of Panjim into. Stop-gap measures will be insufficient to restore Panjim to a semblance of normalcy, at least before the onset of the monsoon. A last minute patch-up work will be insufficient to tide over the monsoon and all these authorities should face the wrath of the people of Panjim. Without a comprehensive map of the utilities laid under the city roads, no work should have been undertaken at all. And all the damage will be very difficult to mend.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
Elvidio Miranda, Panjim
Act against stunt men on Goan roads
Even with the rise in road accidents on a daily basis in Goa, we still see other adventures on the roads by students or youth with their bikes.
Recently, Goa police arrested students who were doing stunts on their bikes at Verna and Curchorem. It’s common nowadays that students have sports bike and are interested in performing stunts on road that too without wearing a helmet. The youth who turn into stunt men are so confident that they ride it on road with their front wheel up and ride only with rear wheel on the road, thus showing off his so-called talent, which is dangerous to him and others on the road. These stunts usually happens on the road in Verna beyond the industrial estate on the road leading to Loutolim as there are no public and traffic policemen there. The Government should come down heavily on such youth who endanger their lives on the road and also parents should be booked so that such actions are not repeated by others. There should be strict instructions to dealers that sports bikes should be registered in the name of either parent and if the child rides the bike for stunt, then parents should be booked for any unfortunate events.
Raju Ramamurthy, Vasco
Get rid of scrapped govt vehicles also
In a bid to curb pollution, Goa government on Friday announced Registered Vehicle Scrapping Policy of Goa 2023, as per which nearly 1.92 lakh vehicles, mostly over 15 years old, are set to be fit for scrapping this year. Moreover, over the next five years, additional 3.5 lakh vehicles will be fit for scrapping. This is a step in the right direction as it will reduce the number of vehicles on the roads to a great extent. This will go a long way in reducing the congestion on the roads. Obviously, the government will also have a system in place to get rid of the scrapped vehicles. It is pertinent to note that there are several government vehicles belonging to various departments which have been scrapped and lying abandoned at various places across the state. The government needs to use the same yardstick and get rid of all the abandoned and scrapped government vehicles rusting in the open spaces at various places in the state. These vehicles are a sore sight and become a breeding spot for mosquitoes, during the rainy season which can lead to various vector-borne diseases, and hence become a health hazard.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Bye Bye, Rs 2,000
Bank notes
Finally the citizens of this country have to say bye bye to Rs 2,000 bank notes. The RBI will start withdrawing Rs 2,000 notes from circulation. But nothing to worry! The 2,000 note will remain legal tender. You will get a chance to deposit the Rs 2,000 notes at the bank, or exchange it up to Rs 20,000 at a time according to an official statement.
People will be able to deposit their Rs 2,000 notes or exchange them for smaller notes between May 23 and September 30, 2023.The Rs 2,000 currency note was issued to meet the Indian economy’s currency requirement in view of the sudden withdrawal of the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes under the demonetisation drive and after withdrawal of Rs 2,000 bank notes RBI should print Rs 1,000 bank notes and achieve the goal which will benefit the common man and business men of our country India. People find it very difficult to get Rs 2,000 note change, especially when Rs1,000 notes were suddenly withdrawn. The Rs 2,000 bank notes were good to carry, but it was unlucky for some because they were disappearing faster from our pockets. The printing of the Rs 2,000 note was stopped in the year 2018-19.
Ronnie D’Souza, Chandor
Rs 2,000 notes withdrawal
The Reserve Bank of India has announced the withdrawal of Rs 2,000 notes and extended the time limit to September 30. This is going to cause inconvenience to the general public facing difficulties bringing back the harsh memories of demonetisation of Rs1,000 and Rs 500 notes. The common man had to face the brunt, particularly those who were abroad and many people landed up holding the said paper currency which was later of no value. The earlier denominations were very convenient for transactions but the then newly introduced Rs 2,000 currency was reluctantly accepted making small transactions deplorable. It is presumed that the demonetization was imposed to curb black money, but how far it was successful, is still unknown. Whatever it is, if after the withdrawal of Rs 2,000 paper currency the govt is planning to reintroduce Rs 1,000, and Rs 500 currency back into circulation, then it will be advisable to accept the old currency to give relief to the common man.
Ayres Sequeira, Salvador do Mundo
