Ribandar locals going through a nightmare
The brazen digging of roads in Ribandar has been going on for over a year. There has been dust pollution galore with the residents stranded with the never-ending unplanned and very substandard Smart City works posing a grave health and safety hazard. It is a matter of great concern as the well-being of our residents is compromised. Ribandar has never ever faced such helplessness. It has been organised chaos all over.
We can now only hope that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant comes to the rescue of the Ribandar residents to alleviate this pain and agony they have been enduring for too long.
It is so very unfortunate that the people’s normal day to life has been disrupted while nobody knows what would be the fate of the works currently being carried out. Is it not ironic that the authorities themselves say that they cannot guarantee the quality of these so-called development works? We can only pray and hope.
Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar
Genocide against Palestinians in Gaza
This is in reference to the editorial ‘May Eid bring back peace to Palestine’ (April 11). Muslims around the world celebrated a subdued Eid-ul-Fitr amid the on-going Israel-Hamas war. Attacks on civilians have continued despite the UNSC and UNGA resolutions as well as directives by the International Court of Justice for Israel to prevent genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. More than 33,000 people have been killed in the monstrous war leaving thousands on the injured list.
By all indications and perhaps all too predictably, given the little regard Israel has shown for Palestinians throughout its decades long occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and its blockade of the Gaza Strip what Israel claimed to be a war of self-defence, has instead degraded into a campaign of undisciplined vengeance. There is little doubt that, six months since this conflict started, momentum is building. But unless Israeli leaders start seeing beyond the narrow lens of their desire for lop-sided victory and suppression of Palestinian lives, they will be set against a global momentum that even the US cannot shield them from.
Gregory Fernandes, Mumbai
The glass is actually two-thirds empty
For the first 44 years after Independence, India’s development and prospects aroused little enthusiasm, whether among Indians or Western commentators. Things started changing after the reforms of the Narasimha Rao-led government in 1991. For more than three decades now, we have heard and read about the emerging phenomenon that is India. It has been hailed as a potential superpower, a sleeping giant, a great untapped market and a country finally reclaiming its supposedly deserved spot on the global stage.
India’s jobs shortfall was already at a staggering 20-25 million in 1955. The situation only worsened in subsequent decades, with the backlog reaching 30-35 million in 1965, 40-45 million by the mid-1980s, 58 million in 2000 and at least 80 million by 2019. India’s best GDP growth phase, from 2003 to 2011, did little to make a dent in the mountain of the jobs backlog. Education and health expenditures have lagged behind world averages for a very long time.
India has the fastest GDP growth, is the third or the fifth largest economy. Economic growth has benefited middle and upper-class Indians the most. This is a significant fraction, but not a majority. About one-third of Indian households earns more than Rs 5 lakh per year, and can be classified as middle or upper class. The remaining two-thirds of the population is struggling in one way or another. Perhaps fair to say then, that the glass is two-thirds empty.
Newton Mendonca, Aldona
Need to pray for citizen-centric govt
The Vailankanni Express, the weekly train carrying hundreds of Goans on a pilgrimage to Tamil Nadu has become a subject of debate on social media in view of the election season. The weekly departure of the train will take place on May 6, on the eve of May 7 elections for the two Lok Sabha seats. It must be said that one cannot be forced to travel on any day. It’s one’s own prerogative as to where and when to travel. The pilgrims may have reserved the tickets 2-3 months in advance and the dates of the election schedule was announced only a couple of weeks ago. It is learnt that over 800 pilgrims have already booked the tickets to Vailankanni on May 6. Obviously these pilgrims will not be able to exercise their franchise unless they decide against travelling on that day. Be that as it may, those who embark on the pilgrimage need to take the opportunity to pray for the smooth conduct of the elections and that only deserving candidates will get elected. The pilgrims also need to pray for a good government at the Centre which will guarantee full respect of human rights, the rule of law, effective participation, political-pluralism, transparent and accountable governance. Just as candidates contesting the elections visit various religious places before elections, citizens also need to pray for a citizen-centric government.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Blatant disregard to environmental concerns
The ‘Hill cutting issue at Calangute constituency’ published in O Heraldo, edition dated April 10, 2024, shows that Illegal hill-cutting has become rampant can cause landslides, loss of biodiversity, etc. It highlights the blatant disregard to environmental concerns for commercial gains that has been the bane of the State and its depleting green cover. Just because people have bought land, they think they can come and destroy the natural habitat and try to convert it into palatial mansions.
It's disconcerting that the individuals with connections to power continue to demolish hills or hilly areas around Goa. It’s time now for civil society members and greens to hold the authorities concerned accountable. The government authorities should take a firm stance in this regard, and pursue a policy of zero tolerance to any threat posed to the environment. Raising awareness is also essential to make this successful.
K G Vilop, Chorao