Letters to the editor (30 October 2021)

Letters to the editor (30 October 2021)
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Protect children in pillion seat

Many a times, we can see more than one child on a two wheeler each holding on to one another. During school days it is still bad as they cling to their parent’s back while their school bags protrude dangerously from their shoulders. Parents may be compelled to drop and pick their children from the school because of the exorbitant auto or taxi charges or else they may be residing near the school.

Children as pillion riders may be unavoidable as parents take them for an outing or shopping. The problems are small children in the pillion seat may fall asleep, lose their grip, the weight of the school bag could pull them down, they may lose balance when the vehicle goes over a speed breaker or in a pot-hole, etc. These could result in accidents and the sufferer would be the children.

The Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, is doing a wonderful job with his innovative ideas. He has made fitting of airbags compulsory in all cars that roll out from the factories, which otherwise no one wants to fit due to extra costs. Gadkari should introduce a law to make wearing of helmet compulsory for children over the age of 4 years. Also fitting and wearing a safety belt by kids in the pillion seat should be made mandatory. Would the authorities and parents care to take some remedial steps to protect the children?

Sridhar D. Iyer, Caranzalem

Organic farming, the way forward

Paving the way forward for organic farming, it is learnt that the Goa government is planning to convince 10,000 additional farmers to switch over to organic farming. There are reportedly 45,000 registered farmers in the state of which 50 per cent will be organically certified. Goa was allotted the first 500 organic clusters in April 2020 which are located in all the 12 farming talukas. 12,994 farmers are reportedly undergoing training in organic certification. Organic agriculture is an integrated farming system that strives for sustainability, the enhancement of soil fertility and biological diversity while prohibiting synthetic pesticides, antibiotics, synthetic fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, and growth hormones. Organic farming in India uses pest control derived from organic manure and animal or plant waste. Organic farming is better for the environment. Farming without pesticides is also better for nearby birds and animals as well as people who live close to farms. Australia has the most organic land area followed by Argentina and China.

Consumers prefer to buy organic food products because of the general perception that the organic food products are healthy, safe, nutritious and environment friendly.

Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco

Restoring Covid impacted livelihoods

There is a massive opportunity in providing Goan food to locals and tourists alike that is yet to be tapped. During the last @ two years of the pandemic many people lost their jobs and to tide over hard times many Goan families started small food outlets from their homes or the roadside. Some of these ventures became very popular with people looking for wholesome food like bhaji pao, ross omelette, fish cutlets, etc, without burning a hole in their pockets.

There are various other Goan dishes like xacuti, sorpotel, bondas and sweets like dodol, bebinca, etc, which can be offered to tourists but paucity of space and lack of capital prevents their preparation and retail. Visitors to Goa actually get very little opportunity to sample the local fare, popular tourist spots are full of Chinese restaurants, Punjabi joints, Kerala cafes, momo stalls and other such but hardly any Goan eateries. Professionals from the culinary field can be roped in to provide basic training to Goans to operate small outlets/gaddas in high footfall areas, the government should also provide collateral free seed capital to self help groups to set up sustainable businesses.

Towards this end the panchayats, comunidades, and the sarkari machinery must work in unison to identify locations where these small ventures can take root. Adversity (Covid) is an opportunity in disguise and one should seize it with both hands for a better tomorrow. 

Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim

Are we turning barbaric?

This has reference to the report ‘6 women mowed down in Haryana at farmers' protest site’ (Herald, October 29, 2021). Yet another horrible tragedy! Seems like human life has no value in our beloved country. How else does one explain the mowing down of six women protesting against the Farm Laws, at Haryana? This comes close on the heels of the Lakhimpur tragedy where eight lives were lost. I mean, where are we heading? All indications are that we are turning rather already turned, into a barbaric state.

As far as the Farmers' agitation is concerned, it seems like the government wants to see a violent end to this agitation. The biggest obstacle as we can all see in resolving this issue, is the 'ego'. Let's be practical. If parliament has the power to bulldoze the Farm Laws, it can also withdraw the Laws, and begin afresh. One can only hope against hope, that saner counsel will prevail and a peaceful settlement is affected. This agitation has gone on for far too long. We cannot afford to lose any more lives.

Melville X. D'Souza, Mumbai

COP26 should stress on fast action

The COP26 conference is starting at Glasgow, Scotland on October 31 and concludes on November 12 wherein the countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change (UNFCCC) treaty which came into force in 1994 will congregate. This conference is of ultimate importance since it will deliberate on the issue of curbing climate change by reduction of emission of greenhouse gases which topic is becoming urgent considering the fact that the earth is warming at unprecedented rate.

It has to be stressed that the two largest emission culprits are China and United States and as such to bring about a radical reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, these two countries should not only pledge but also take rapid action on reduction in greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Mere deliberations will be of no use and urgent concrete action is required in order to prevent anomalous climatic occurrences such as cyclones, hurricanes, flooding, heat waves, wildfires and drought which have been scientifically proved to be a direct consequence of warming of the earth's surface that is leading to excessive heat leading to melting of the ice caps, rising sea levels as well as excess evaporation contributing to excess precipitation and flooding as has occurred in many countries of the world.

Leaders of the world congregating at Glasgow have not only to pledge but also to take immediate urgent action on reduction in the use of fossil fuels such as coal, petrol, diesel and aviation turbine fuel (ATF) in order to rein in warming of the globe. Preferably it should be decided to phase out use of fossil fuels, by actually pledging the closure of specific greenhouse emitting coal-fired plants that are now in operation around the world. 

Elvidio Miranda, Panjim

Bail for Aryan Khan

The Bombay High Court, granting bail to actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan and two others, 25 days after their arrest by the NCB in the drugs-on-cruise case, must bring much cheer to the embattled families. But Aryan Khan is not likely to walk free immediately as the court is yet to give its operative order on the bail conditions. The drugs bust has triggered a series of controversies and put the Central agency and its officials under the spotlight.

N J Ravi Chander, Bengaluru

Herald Goa
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