WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2024
Utilising panchayat funds before Mar 31
The panchayats across Goa are directed to utilise all the funds which are sanctioned by the 14th Finance Commission for the development of their respective villages. The deadline is given as March 31, 2021. Otherwise the funds will be returned back to the government.
I would like to bring to the attention of the Panchayat Minister that all the internal roads in the Village of Santo Estevam are in a pathetic condition and which create a lot of inconvenience to the commuters.
First of all the roads are narrow and with lots of pot holes and gravel that can cause damage to the vehicles plying on these roads. And some of the internal roads are neglected for past 10 years.
It would be in the fitness of things that the grants which are allocated to this village are completely utilised at least for the hot mixing of roads and not patch work as usually done just before the onset of monsoons. I would urge the Panchayat Minister to personally look into this matter.
Venan Bonaventure Dias,
St. Estevam
Credibility of candidates
Further to the news item appearing on Monday in the section of the local press saying the elder son of Babush Monserrate, i.e. Rohit Monserrate, is going to contest the forthcoming election for the Corporation of the City of Panjim, from Ward No. 3, it is not wrong in a democratic society like India for any Indian citizen to contest the election and as such Rohit Monserrate is not wrong to contest the said election.
However, at the same time it is also not wrong on the part of any voter to question the credentials of the contestant because as a concerned citizen it is the right of the voter to screen the character and other details of the contestant especially now when very many of the candidates are practising the corrupt practice of “Aya Ram – Gaya Ram” because like candidates major part of our voters also lost their moral rights to vote rightly. For this reason thorough screening of the candidate is imperative and not on the backing of his money and political power of his parents.
Irrespective of the discipline of his close relatives, even though, however, bad it may be, candidate should be given all the support if he really deserves it by performing good deeds for the benefit of society. If not, he should not be a hindrance for the good of society.
When the local bigwigs from Calangute Constituency went to UG Party bosses to give the election ticket to Valente Sequeira from Candolim then, they were questioned, "what are the plus points of Sequeira going in his favour to contest the election?” There was nothing extraordinary in his favour but only the fabricated “Bonddolam” that resulted finally into a first class Defector of Valente Sequeira.
A Veronica Fernandes, Candolim
What awaits us in the near future?
Political science teaches us three forms of governments and their functioning. Dictatorship, Democracy and the Federal government, i. e the Presidential. In a democratic government people are supreme, they elect their representatives to form the government which should function as per the expectations of the people.
After freeing ourselves from the British rule in 1947 and becoming independent, our forefathers thought it right to opt for democracy to keep India secular, to protect our diversity and to remain united and strong. The Indian Constitution too was written with a secular mind to give right and freedom to every citizen to live in dignity and peace. After installing a secular govt our country marched ahead for seventy years with progress to compete with developed countries to bring us the honour to stand shoulder to shoulder with other developed nations.
But for the corrupt politicians, who brought us the disgrace joining the Congress, the people decided to change governance by bringing a national party to power for a better governing policy makers. Thus came the 2014 election when promises were floated in the air and the people voted for the BJP in the hope of bringing acche din which backfired with chai mentality governance plunging our country to the lowest level to misrule and deprive the citizens their constitutional rights to live.
With the BJP government at the Centre, Goa too has fallen a prey to its governance disturbing the peace and tranquillity among the Goans who seek to protect their villages from being destroyed under unwanted developments forced upon them against their will.
With the politics of corruption and deceit having percolated down to the grassroots governance as well, is it any wonder what awaits us in days to come.
Ayres Sequeira,
Salvador do Mundo
Equip coastal Police with decibel meters
There have been complaints galore about loud music being played after dusk along the coastal belt but it seems that the police have turned a deaf ear to the complaints. It is understood that coastal areas like Anjuna and Calangute have turned into a hub of nightlife with loud music being played in shacks and night clubs throughout the night. Exposure to prolonged or excessive sound has been shown to cause a range of health problems ranging from stress and poor concentration.
Lack of sleep can also cause productivity losses in work place, communication difficulties and fatigue during the day. This can lead to more serious conditions like cardiovascular disease. Noise exposure also induces hearing loss, hypertension, sleep disturbance, anxiety, depression and increased incidences of diabetes. Students who study at night can also be affected.
Senior citizens and the elderly people are the worst affected. They are denied a good night sleep due to the loud music. The coastal police stations need to take cognizance of the complaints of loud music and act. For this to take place every police station along the coastal belt needs to be equipped with the sound-level meter also known as a decibel-meter. It is understood that the Anjuna police station does not possess a decibel meter and the one at Calangute police station is not in working condition. Every police station along the coastal belt needs to be equipped with a decibel meter which is in working condition.
Adelmo Fernandes,
Vasco
Appreciate efforts of environmentalists
This has reference to the report ‘Reclaiming village ponds with a little help from migrants’ (Herald Cafe, February 22). In this gloomy, depressing scenario in the country with environmental disasters taking place across the world, the latest being the glacier melting at Uttarakhand, this seems like a good initiative on the part of couple of citizens of Saligao.
Preserving water bodies is an important step towards saving the ecosystem around us. We have been seeing the disastrous effects of destroying the water bodies provided by nature, in locations like the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) where even a fairly good rainfall is enough to create floods and bring the city to a standstill. It is good to note though, that efforts are on in MMR to preserve the water bodies add far as possible.
So often, we hear of debris and garbage being dumped in ponds, wells, mangroves, rivers, creeks and other water bodies. Therefore, the initiative undertaken by this artist in Goa, Harshada Kerkar and others on saving the ecosystem around them, needs to be appreciated. We need to wake up now before it is too late!
Melville X D'Souza,
Mumbai
