FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2024
Strictly impose vehicular safety measures
There's been no let up in the spate of accidents and fatalities on Goan roads. The year 2023 has perhaps seen the maximum deaths in the tiny state of Goa and we are only in the fifth month of the year. The maximum accidents usually occur in the rainy season.
More than eight months ago, after the major accident and death of a Tata scion, the Centre got serious about the use of safety belts in cars, including the rear seat passengers. If the rule has been passed universally, it doesn't seem to be implemented in Goa. Leave alone the rear seat, even the front seat passengers do not don the seat belt if one notices. Similarly, where two wheelers are concerned it is very common to see four to five individuals on a vehicle, many times even with an infant enjoying the jolly ride.
Do people really care for their lives in India? Certainly, the road engineering, pot holes, signages and impatience of the motorists are bad enough. But if vehicle users follow the basic safety guidelines prescribed, a lot of accidents and fatalities could have been avoided. A case in point is the two accidents that occurred on Monday:
In Ponda the driver had two youth in his vehicle when he dozed off and the car smashed against a tree. Had the children worn seat belts they would not have died a tragic death. In another incident at Sancoale a collision between two vehicles resulted in injury to four people. For sure the seat belts were not used in this case too.
The traffic department needs to enforce all safety measures to save lives and limb. It also needs to harshly punish motorists who break all traffic rules with impunity.
Alwyn M D'Sa, Miramar
Passing the buck,
a masterstroke
The Hon'ble minister for labour, revenue and waste management recently admitted that the 'purported' smart city work being carried out in Panjim is below par and has conveniently shifted the blame to the consultant. His own son who is the city mayor has also washed his hands off the whole affair saying that he has no real executive powers to crack the whip on contractors engaged for the development works. The Hon'ble mantri goes on to state that the consultant who has been paid Rs 8 crore for guiding the government has no knowledge of services and utilities beneath the capital city's streets and that he should have worked under the supervision of the state PWD. The minister seems to suffer from selective amnesia. He has forgotten that the professional was appointed after several rounds of bids and discussions and after due diligence was selected by his own sarkar. The incompetent elected representatives are simply taking pre-emptive action to absolve themselves of all accountability for shoddy work and potential flooding of Panjim during the monsoon, by making professionals as the scapegoats. For how long can we the people be taken for a ride by such ‘good for nothing/bad for everything’ criminals masquerading as politicians?
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Parliament building: Controversies galore
This is the first time in Independent India, that so much of a controversy has surfaced over the Prime Minister of the country inaugurating an edifice --the new Parliament building and it is also not without reasons. Much has already been said and discussed as to why a major chunk of the opposition parties numbering 19 have demanded that the new Parliament building should be opened only by President Draupadi Murmu and not Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is unfortunate that the ruling dispensation does not want to listen to, leave alone, accede to the reasonable demand of the opposition parties but wants to go ahead with their plan to get Prime Minister Modi inaugurate the edifice. It is also alleged that both the President and the Vice President have not been invited for the ritual as their physical presence will be an embarrassment when Prime Minister Modi will be doing the job instead of any one of them. As there is lot of opposition for PM Modi to inaugurate the edifice and this is unprecedented in Indian history, one hopes that PM Modi himself might relent and entrust the job to be done by President Murmu, the right person.
It is also alleged that the sceptre (Sengole) fiasco that has also turned highly controversial is only to divert the attention of the people from the major controversy shrouding the inauguration of the Parliament building by PM Modi.
Tharcius S Fernando, Chennai
Oppn boycott has political undertones
Unfortunately, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's proposed inauguration of the new Parliament building on May 28, has taken a political tone. Nineteen parties, including the Congress, have refused to attend the event, demanding that President Droupadi Murmu to do the honours. These parties also criticised the government for organising the ceremony on the birthday of Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar. The boycott list may grow as the BRS and the BSP have yet to clear their stand. However, Naveen Patnaik's BJD, the YSR Congress, Akali Dal and the TDP will attend the event along with BJP allies. The Opposition boycott is a well-orchestrated ploy to belittle the BJP ahead of next year's Lok Sabha elections.
N J Ravi Chander, Bengaluru
Mumbai Indians honing talent
Mumbai Indians are known for their knack of scouting unknown talents from the Indian domestic circuit, who go on to represent Indian cricket after showcasing their prowess in IPL. As we know, star cricketers like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya have come through this system. If southpaw Tilak Varma was the find of the season 2022 for MI, Nehal Wadhera and Akash Madhwal are the new stars for them in IPL 2023, as both these youngsters have already hit the headlines with some stellar performances. The little known engineer Akash Madhwal from Uttarakhand, in particular, became an overnight star after he blew away LSG in the eliminator game with his sensational spell of ‘five for five’, a record in an IPL playoff match. MI have a clear laid-out map on how they approach every season and that’s what has made them the most successful franchise of IPL so far. Over the years it has become a household template for MI as they continue to maintain a group of Indian players around whom the team is built.
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai
