MONDAY, MAY 06, 2024
Unplanned Smart City works and waste of funds
Kudos to OHeraldo for being the voice of the woes of the residents of Panjim as well as tourists of the various struggles faced by them of dust pollution, dug up and unfilled trenches without proper illuminated flashing lights, incomplete road /footpath works while moving in the Capital City, due to most unscheduled, unplanned, unsupervised, uncoordinated smart city works.
Such substandard works has resulted into a severe inconvenience due to massive flooding on account of sudden downpour on Saturday, April 20 instant. This flooding on the roads infront of the Immaculate Conception Church and the Jama Masjid road occurred primarily due to constructing new sewage chambers on existing drains and completely ignoring the underground cross drains built during Portuguese era.
Having lived in this heritage area for more than six and half decades, which brings down from the Altinho Hill gushing water and silt when it rains, had informed the smart city officials at this site of the sheer need to clear the way for the cross drains to prevent flooding. But the arrogant incompetent officials turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the experienced voice of logical reason till the massive flooding of the city. There is an urgent need for accountability and responsibility to be fixed on the Smart City officials by holding a judicial enquiry into this criminal waste of public funds.
Rui Ferreira, Panjim
Clear uncertainty over Portuguese citizenship
The long term uncertainty over the Portuguese nationality issue has kept those seeking to obtain it, and especially those born before 19th December 1961 who are required to register their births via the Assento de Nascimento to be in perpetual state of fear especially due to MEA and the MHA resorting to change in policy, which is unfair, particularly to the elderly.
It was already decided by the authorities that those who had the Assento de Nascimento, the Assento de Casamento and the Bilhete de Identidade or the now Cartão de Cidadão which is the electronic version were ineligible to vote and had been able to keep their names in the ration cards. Only those that had obtained Portuguese passports and had an affidavit sworn that they are Portuguese nationals and had surrendered their Indian passports had their names deleted from the electoral rolls as a consequence of what was then known as the standard procedure, a necessity at that time of obtaining a visa/ permit to travel abroad.
In the fitness of things, this should be maintained since Goa like Pondicherry has to be given entitlement that are similar as Goa then was a Portuguese colony and thus those born then were Portuguese by birth. Or is this change in policy meant to instill panic on those who have sought an avenue to their children in the absence of employment opportunities in the state? In the run up to the election, this was not a prudent thing to do.
Stephen Dias, Dona Paula
US fanning flames of war, adding fuel to fire
The military industrial complex in the US seems to be calling the shots as far as government policies on global conflict are concerned. Even as tens of thousands of students across prestigious universities like Pennsylvania, Stanford and Columbia are protesting against American support to Israel in it's atrocities against Palestine, the President has gone ahead and signed the War Aid Bill which envisages @ $ 27 billion in funds to Israel, besides @ $ 61 billion to Ukraine and $ 8 billion to Taiwan. Infact after the passage of the Bill , Biden gloated that " it's a good day for world peace, it's going to make America safer, it's going to make the world safer." I fail to fathom how the world will be safe if it remains a perennial conflict zone fueled by mercenary commercial interests. Instead of taking the initiative to call all parties to the table to resolve conflict, America is literally adding fuel to the fire.
Under Biden's weak leadership, the US is almost a non-entity in today's multipolar world. It is to be noted that the US has zilch interest in mediating for global peace or cessation of hostilities in any corner of the globe, think Vietnam, think Afghanistan, think Iran, think Syria , think Somalia.....It is in America's interest to fan the flames of war, and facilitate their armaments industry in raking in trillions from human misery. The US loves to project itself as a global policeman but is infact a gleeful enabler of wars.
Vinay Dwivedi,
Benaulim The changing world of English
The global English language is constantly changing with new words being ‘invented’ or ‘created’ all the time. Some of the new words come from cultural trends, others are combinations of two existing words, and others are new meanings for old words. Consider these new words: “BLING”: 'Expensive, ostentatious clothing and jewellery'. “CHILLAX”: 'Calm down and relax.' “CRUNK”: 'Very excited or full of energy.' “LISTICLE”: 'A piece of writing or other content presented wholly or partly in the form of a list.'
If one person who changed and took the English language to dizzying heights, it is unquestionably William Shakespeare. His works contributed in a gargantuan manner to the standardization of the grammar, spelling and vocabulary of the English language. Through his immense ability to create original words, Shakespeare is said to have invented some 2,000 words. Few examples: eyeballs, homicide, brittle, lonely, gloomy and majestic. The beauty of the English language lies in its flexibility, allowing for the creation of new words constantly and reflecting the changing times
and global culture.
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai
