SATURDAY, JULY 27, 2024
High paying jobs at Marina project?
CM Pramod Sawant was heard fully batting the Marina project at Nauxim and urged people not to create any hindrance for development works in the state.
In fact, he was seen trying to excite Goans by claiming that Goan youth who are planning to go in foreign countries to work on ships might henceforth even decide to stay back in future if projects like Marina are successfully set up here and if they are given high salaries.
When the casino ships or all big starred hotels have still not been able to employ a large number of our Goan youth and pay them decent salaries and when the Mopa Airport too have miserably failed (despite of all the tall claims made by politicians) to give guaranteed jobs for all the local youth from Pernem, how can Sawant say that the Marina project & many other such planned projects will do wonders for our youth in future?
Well, Sawant should first try to bring out a list of Goans who are currently employed at any of these casinos of projects & then start selling his own fake dreams to all the gullible Goans.
Jerry Fernandes, Saligao
Reduce road-tax on budget cars as well
It is learnt that in a bid to discourage the practice of registering vehicles in other states and to avoid paying a higher road-tax and curb tax revenue loss, the Goa government on Wednesday decided to slash the tax on high-end vehicles. According to the new tax rate high-end vehicles will now pay a reduced road-tax. In today’s world almost every family owns at least one car. Cars are no longer a luxury item but have become a necessity in today’s fast-paced world. It would be in the fitness of things for the government to reduce the road-tax on budget cars as well.
The common man ends up spending a huge amount on road-tax and the insurance cover on a new car. The aim of the government should be not only to bring in more revenue by encouraging buyers of high-end cars to register their vehicles in the state, but should also come to the rescue of the common man by reducing the road-tax on budget cars.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Man’s labour prevailed over machines
Kudos to the two Goan engineers who guided the rat-hole miners in pulling off India’s toughest disaster rescue mission at the Silkyara tunnel where 41 workers were trapped there for 17 long days. However, as India celebrates the successful rescue operation, some lessons ought to be learnt from it. Ignoring environmental impact assessments as in the case of Uttarkashi’s Silkyara tunnel, citing national security to brush away concerns about digging in a seismologically active zone is a bad idea.
The rag-tag team of ‘rat-hole’ miners who played perhaps one of the most important roles in the rescue of the workers in the Uttarakhand, doing in hours what no machine could do for several days truly deserves honours. Importantly, saving on safety is a weakness that must be avoided if Himalayan projects are to be successfully implemented without damaging the ecology and risking human lives
Gregory Fernandes, Mumbai
Stop heavy tunnelling in the Himalayas
The mission of rescuing the 41 workers from the Silkyara tunnel is a triumph of human labour over machinery as the rat-hole mining experts managed to manually break through the final 12 meters of rubble, using only hand drills and pulleys. This extensive and challenging rescue work, spanning over 400 hours, showcases the resoluteness and determination of the rescuers and the indomitable spirit of the trapped workers. But as we watched on television the hardship and struggle over the operations, questions emerged as to whether the mountainous area in Uttarkhand can really withstand this intensity of heavy tunnelling work.
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai
Human labour is important
With reference to the report in O Heraldo November 30, 2023 human labour triumphed over machinery and helped those poor hapless workers, trapped in the tribal tunnel for 17 days, finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. After several attempts using modern machinery had failed the rathole-miners succeeded in the rescue mission. This is not to belittle new modern technology but we need to understand the importance and usefulness of manual labour as well.
Modern technological gadgets like the mobile phones can bring loved ones close to each other, communicating with each other but it is that manual, personal touch which makes the difference. So, if there is at least one thing we can pick up from this incident it is, the personal touch.
Melville X D’Souza, Mumbai
Arnold Dix, the unsung hero
While everyone appreciated the excellent services rendered by our rescue teams that helped the 41 trapped workers in the Uttarkashi tunnel to come out alive, all including the print and electronic media have miserably failed to acknowledge and appreciate the selfless services rendered by Australian Arnold Dix, President of the International Tunnelling Association who rushed to India and worked 24/7 spearheading the rescue operation in challenging conditions at his advanced age. Have we all become so very ungrateful? Even our tall leaders like the President, PM and CM of Uttarakhand failed to even mention his name in their messages while appreciating the Indian rescue teams! Though this is not his country, the trapped are not his countrymen and more importantly, it is not his job, Arnold on hearing the mishap, rushed to the tunnel spot and performed such a great service to our trapped workers only to be forgotten by us and left high and dry as an unsung hero though he treated the stuck workers as his own children, kept talking to them and reassured them with prayers!
Fiona Waltair, Chennai
Why family reunions not shown on TV?
The nation heaved a collective sigh of relief as the 41 trapped workers were finally rescued. All credit goes to the rescue teams who worked round the clock to achieve a miracle, in the face of many obstacles thrown up by a rocky terrain. After facing a 17-day ordeal, one expected to see on TV, images of miners hugging their loved ones. Alas! not one scene of a family reunion was shown. Instead, we only saw miners being grabbed and hugged by our beloved politicians!
Robert Castellino, Calangute/Mumbai
