WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2024
Crackdown on roadside cooking
Cooking by the roadside by domestic tourists has become a common sight, especially in North Goa. These tourists do not want to spend on hotel accommodation and having meals in the restaurants. The only thing they buy in Goa could be liquor bottles. They carry along with them gas stoves, LPG cylinders, vegetables, rice bags and everything else that is needed for cooking. They either sleep in the vehicles or on top of it. Some even sleep on the ground. These domestic low-budget tourists are more of nuisance value. They then leave behind all the garbage for the local authorities to clear.
The locals in the villages have many a time warned these tourists not to cook in the public. But this has not yielded any results.
It may not be possible to stop these tourists from entering the State. The police force is also not sufficient to act against roadside cooking. Hence it would be desirable to check the vehicles at the border. If dangerous combustible items like kerosene or LPG cylinders used for cooking are found in the vehicle, they should be confiscated by the police stationed at the border. This is probably the only way to stop the menace of cooking by the roadside which is presenting Goa in poor taste.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Why IIT Melauli?
I am sure most Goans would not oppose IIT campus in Goa but my question is why at the heavily forested area of Melauli? Particularly when there is other barren land with the Govt e.g. the SEZ lands, the available land at Farmagudi, etc; the arrogance of the Government for Melauli is surely suspicious!
Needless to mention the horrific treatment of the villagers/tribals at Melauli including aged women by the Goa Police under direction of the Government! Is the actual agenda related to development of the surrounding land of this controversial IIT at Melauli to the real estate lobby or is it to another lobby who are financially backing the concerned politicians!
Arwin Mesquita, Colva
Meaning of ‘Trumpism’
That part of the North American continent which is known as the United States was peopled by the migrants from North Western Europe i.e. Britain, Germany, Netherlands, Scandinavian countries together with a small black population descendants of slaves from West Africa.
Till 2010s the US was dominated by the WASPs meaning white, anglo-saxon and protestant communities. The US demography however, now going in favour of black.
Latino (from Central and South America) and Asians like Chinese, Indians, etc.
The latter people are slowly and steadily becoming more and more politically powerful and WASP people are on their way to become the new minorities.
Hence Trump with his consistently inconsistent policies for the last four years represents efforts to keep political power in the hands of WASPs. The latest presidential election further diminished the WASP power.
AC Menezes, Chinchinim
Is it democracy or dictatorship?
What is happening in Melauli is disgusting and shocking. It is worse than what happened when Dr Salazar was ruling in Goa. In Delhi farmers are protesting and suffering due to farm bills. In Goa women of Melauli are protesting and suffering because of IIT. The ex-President of USA, Jimmy Carter, said that silence is deadly. Any project or institutes are brought for the benefit of the people. But if the people have objection then the government has to listen to the people and drop the idea. This is called democracy.
By filing false cases on the people who are peacefully sitting and protesting the IIT project, is not a healthy democracy. Who has ordered the lathi charge on the people and to walk over the chest of the women? In a democracy the government has to listen to the people. If the people are not happy then drop the idea or the government can shift the project somewhere else.
Our comunidade land is illegally occupied by migrants who have constructed houses illegally. Why can't the government clear those houses? Why only our own Goans are harassed?
Cyril Leitao, Chinchinim
Govt money in private banks
We may be aware of State governments depositing the salaries of their employees and also creating fixed deposits in private banks. One such State was Maharashtra which due to compulsion of political coalition had accounts in a private bank where crores of rupees in salaries were deposited and fixed deposits accounts were created. But once the powers changed hands, the accounts in the private bank was threatened to be closed (no news if this was done so). This is just an example as the news was in public domain but none knows how many States follow this bad example.
Leaving aside this debatable issue, the moot point is why should government use private banks for their transactions? If government itself has an apparent trust deficit with the nationalised banks then where do the public go for banking?
Many people are not comfortable with private banks most of which mint money using some tricks or the other. Instead of artificially pumping money into private entities the governments could do well to use the nationalised banks.
Or are the governments afraid that their money would be given to unscrupulous elements and end up as ‘non-performing assets?’ Perhaps it is a case of ‘your money is my money but my money is my money!’
Sridhar D’Iyer, Caranzalem
Attack on US Capitol disgraceful
Hundreds of pro-Trump supporters breaching security and storming the US Capitol is a disgraceful act. The US President set a terrible precedent by inciting his supporters at a rally, claiming he had won the presidential race and goading them to fight like hell. The mob took over the presiding officer’s chair in the Senate and shattered glass.
Several world leaders condemned the assault on American democracy, and Twitter and Facebook blocked the president’s account. The unsavoury incident will go down as a dark day in American history.
N J Ravi Chander, Bengaluru
Victory for Goencho Avaaz
The Goencho Avaaz is celebrating the Court Order quashing charges against them. Why did they not challenge the manner of arrest? That was done totally against the rights of the arrested. News reports do not show the Court passing strictures on this? This missed opportunity will further propel the Police to act like they did in Melauli with the lathi and other forces.
The Govt. is using both, changes in the Law and force to get the anti-people works done. People must also use the law to counter the same.
While Melauli villagers are physically confronting the anti-people projects, they must also make use of the law. They need to pass a resolution in the Panchayat that it is their bounden duty to make provisions of land for their future generations. Therefore, any project that requires 10K sq m or more land must be studied by the villagers to see if it is in keeping with their resolution.
As far as jobs are concerned they can make a report that if the said land acquired for the IIT, is used as a warehouse and rented out, the income will be a hundred fold more than the IIT jobs given to locals. They have proof that the new farm laws will require such warehouses. Or the same can be used for rented accommodation. Let the govt show better returns to the villagers from their IIT.
R Fernandes, Margao
