FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2024
Open pits in Panaji continue to pose danger
In yet one more shocking incident a scooter-rider reportedly fell into an open drain at St Inez where road digging is going on as part of the Smart City works. The person who suffered bleeding injuries to the head was shifted to the hospital.
According to locals, the barricading is not done properly and the open drain-pit has been posing danger to all. There have been several instances of two-wheeler riders falling prey to unattended trenches and pits related to the Smart City work.
It may be recalled that a motorcycle rider lost his life when he drove straight into the pit with his bullet bike and later succumbed to the injuries. There was apparently a power shutdown in the area which was in total darkness.
It appears that the authorities concerned have not learnt a lesson. All dug up roads need to be properly barricaded and adequate lighting should be provided in the area. There need to be proper warning signs. The lives of the common man cannot be put at risk due to the haphazard way the work is being carried out. Responsibility should be fixed for the occurrence of such accidents and the victims should be adequately compensated.
But more importantly such incidents should be prevented at all cost. The South West monsoon is knocking at our doors and there are speculations that the Smart City work may not be completed before the deadline of May 31. God save us.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Hardik Pandya saga and the IPL row
It is baffling on what basis the selectors have picked Hardik Pandya for the 2024 T20 world cup when he neither performed with the bat nor with ball in the ongoing IPL.
It is all the more disappointing that he has been named as vice-captain of the team when he has hardly done any justice as skipper of Mumbai Indians.
As deputy to Rohit Sharma in the World Cup, if Hardik is to figure in the playing eleven, where the all-rounder Shivam Dube, who earned his cap purely on merit, will be fitted?
Past performance of Hardik Pandya should not be a counterbalance for his present selection. It is also unfortunate that selectors have unceremoniously dumped Rinku Singh, who has been a revelation in T20s for India during the last one year, and has done exceedingly well as a ‘finisher.’
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai
All workers must get a paid holiday on May 1
On May 1, people all over the world celebrated Labour Day. But most of the working-class labourers were present at their workplaces, not at home.
Labour Day is also known as May Day and International Workers' Day.
The governments of all nations throughout the world must strictly ensure that all labourers receive a paid holiday on this day, and they must pass a bill to strengthen the rights of labourers across the globe.
The capitalist world leaves no stone unturned in its cruelty against the labour class people, often treating them as bonded slaves. Our future generations must be freed from this cycle of injustice and autocracy must be freed. There is an urgent need to ban this system of exploitation in every sector.
Jubel D'Cruz, Mumbai
Inverter manufacturers should be penalised
As appeared in the local daily newspaper the Electricity Dept has issued an advisory asking consumers who have connected GEN-sets without permission should disconnect and follow the guidelines and submit a proper test report for connecting such Gen sets.
This also implies to the Inverters. This advisory was issued in 2019 and there was neither enforcement nor consumer awareness on this and we have landed up killing our lineman.
As a consumer, I am perplexed and confused that my Right to Information and Right to safety has been compromised by the manufacturer/dealer and the Electricity Dept.
The Dept should be held solely responsible for not being pro educative to its consumers by conducting or creating awareness among its consumers the importance of safety and responsibilities.
The Inverter manufacturers have designed such a backup power supply due to the frequent power outages. The consumer is forced to buy a back source to keep his business and household electrified or fear damage to his expensive electronic gadgets and life comfort.
It was the sole duty of the Power Dept to issue notices to the manufacturer/sellers/buyers to see that these safety measures are strictly followed. We see car manufacturers quickly recall the vehicles with faulty parts and rectify the fault but in this case the Electricity Dept. and the Electricity Minister did not bother to ask the inverter manufacturers to do so due their lackadaisical ‘whose fathers what goes’ attitude.
Gregory E Dsouza, Siolim
