TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2024
Need to respect women in buses
We shout from the roof-top when we talk about women's empowerment in our society. For this to happen, we need to treat all women as equal to men and show respect, support, up-hold human rights and show no discrimination. We need to ensure the health, safety and well-being of all women. But do we really follow these norms in a male-dominated society?
It is pertinent to note that all government buses mandatorily have the front few seats reserved for women passengers. But unfortunately, more often than not, these seats are occupied by the male passengers and the women are made to travel standing.
This happens even when the woman is carrying a child in her arms or there is a pregnant lady travelling in the bus. A few women may object to the male passengers occupying the ladies-seats, while the majority of them could be suffering in silence. The bus-conductor or bus-driver should object to men occupying seats reserved for ladies. The provision of seats reserved for ladies should be made mandatory for all buses. Male passengers occupying the reserved seats should immediately provide it to a lady passenger. Women empowerment should start in our local buses and we need to respect and ensure safety and well-being of women.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Law and order has gone for a toss
The dastardly rape and murder of a 5-yr-old girl is something that cannot be accepted by a civilised society. My heartfelt sympathies to the parents and family members as they have lost a young bubbly child.
Such incidents only mar the image of the State and nation all over the world. While the Central Government has been showing that ED, CBI and Income Tax are playing to the tune of their bosses, the police are usually lying low in morale and effectiveness. We need to be responsible citizens of the country.
One wonders if the contrator had ever registered these workers by filling the 'C' form with the police.
Had the contractor lodged a police complaint against the rapists and killers when they tried to attack the child's mother the previous night of the crime, the little child would have lived today. This amounts to criminal negligence on part of the contractor as despite being informed by the child's parents of the criminals making an attempt to rape the mother, he chose to remain silent.
Will our govt ensure protection and rise to defend the Nari shakti or pay mere lip service to the girl child? Beti bachao, beti padao has fallen on deaf ears of these murderers. Goa being a tourist destination, our police should be high on alert when it comes to maintaining law and order but unfortunately our politicians demoralise the force as they often meddle with investigations.
It's election time. While some will speak on vociferously on the issue, the ruling politicians will beat their chests and say not politicise the issue.
Time to unite and fight against the deteriorating law and order in the State on our own. God save Goa and our nari shakti.
Gregory E D'Souza, Siolim
Demolish illegal houses at construction stage
Illegal houses were demolished in Sangolda per the High Court orders on Friday. However locals claim that they were residing here for 30 to 40 yrs, have been issued voting cards by the government and have obtained electricity and water connections as well. A question that begs answers is if the structures are illegal, then how did the occupants manage to get electricity and water connections along with Voter identity cards?
If any structure is illegal, then the issue should be addressed at the time of construction and not after a building is completed. The Sangolda locals claim that they are residents from the area for over 30 yrs.
The houses were constructed on comunidade, forest land and in open spaces and it is learnt that the residents were asking for time as many children from these homes were answering their exams and there was a marriage function in a family.
Demolitions at this time is a big setback and trauma to the family. In case of illegal houses cropping up in the near future, the government should take action at the initial stage and not after completion of a house. Notice boards should be promptly displayed on land belonging to the comunidade, forest or open space as "Government property and trespassers will be prosecuted". Only such notices will prevent from illegal structures from mushrooming or else the same will continue and people will take everything for granted.
Raju Ramamurthy, Vasco
Illegal houses of the high and mighty must go
Illegal construction proliferation is bane of Goa's housing boom. The cries and heart wrenching wails of Sangolda residents evoke sympathy and empathy as human beings get caught in crossfire of law. Plight of 600 homeless residents close to moonsons is pathetic. Look at the illegal bungalow standing tall at Old Goa. Protests, hunger strikes, legal remedies have failed to move the authorities into action. Defiance of law and statutes needs no mercy but different set of standards for the marginalised poor and rich raises doubts of partiality.
Why are the local bodies spared, when they deliberately overlooked illegalities without titles? How were licences issued or connections of water, electricity and house numbers given to illegal encroachments on private, comunidade land ? It is not figment of imagination that bribes and illegal gratification have not been exchanged to overlook wilful violations? Those culprits guilty of dereliction of duty to enforce compliance with rules must equally be subjected to strict scrutiny and exemplary punishment.
Nelson Lopes, Chinchinim
Have we surrendered our lands to China?
When he had a very good opportunity to expose the alleged forced occupation of China in our borders by usurping about 38,000 sq km of our lands in Ladakh and a sizeable land parcel in Arunachal Pradesh, in an interview Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave to the leading American journal 'Newsweek', he miserably failed to do it. The meek appeal made by him to China, the usurper of our lands and killer of many of our valiant soldiers in our borders, for their continued relationship to sort out the prolonged situation on our borders and to sustain peace and tranquility in our borders appears to one as if we have surrendered our rights to reclaim the lost lands to China.
Ever since China occupied our lands in our borders, we have never heard our Prime Minister condemning China by its name but had been going on reiterating that his government will not allow another nation to grab even a meter of our land but the truth, of course, is totally different.
While we boast so much about our defence preparedness, what prevents us to get back the lost lands, even if it needs to be done through a military operation? We feel let down by PM Modi's meek approach to this most head-going issue which concerns the self- respect of each and every patriotic Indian and more importantly, the sovereignty of our beloved motherland.
Tharcius S Fernando, Chennai
