SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2024
Global Tiger Day
Today is Global Tiger Day. The day is celebrated in order to raise awareness about the need to conserve tigers and protect their natural habitats.
Since the 1970s, steps have been taken in India to protect tigers. Global Tiger Day is celebrated every year on July 29 as a way to raise awareness about this magnificent but endangered big cat.
The day was founded in 2010, when the 13 tiger range countries came together to create Tx2 – the global goal to double the number of wild tigers by the year 2022.
Jubel D'Cruz, Mumbai
Congratulations Brandon, proud of you
Goans are overwhelmed with joy to know that our very own son of the soil FC GOA midfielder Brandon Fernandes for winning from Indian Sports Honours (ISM) an award for ‘Breakthrough performance of the Year’. Goans are proud to know that our very own son of the son, son of Salcete, son of Benaulim constituency, and of Benaulim village, ex student of Loyola school achieved this prestigious award by defeating other contenders from the sports field from different fields of sports such as Mayank Agarwal from cricket, Submit Mahal from tennis and Navin Kumar from Kabbadi.
Goans are saluting Brandon Fernandes for achieving this prestigious award with your hard work and dedication. Salute to you for achieving this award at this young age. This is a very proud moment for us Goans but simultaneously it is very sad to know that there is not a single word of praise and appreciation from the Government of Goa, especially from sport minister of Goa, Goa Football Association, FC GOA team management, and not even from our own Benaulim Constituency MLA.
Why this treatment to our own son of the soil? Doesn’t he deserve this award? Why everybody is silent? Come on Goans do not pretend as if you do not know Brandon. At least now after reading this please acknowledge his hard work, dedication and achievements.
Our own salute to Brandon and his family not forgetting his dad Jaju. Cheers!
Natividade Fernandes, Cavelossim
Goa has many issues not just power tariff
The Aam Aadmi party (AAP) has promised to provide 300 units of electricity every month to Goans if it is voted to power in the forthcoming elections. This is a welcome step as it will ease the burden of the common man of having to pay huge electricity bills every month. However, the Delhi-based party cannot expect to make a huge impression on the Goan electorate on just this one issue. Goa has a plethora of issues which requires urgent attention.
The road infrastructure in the State is pathetic. The monsoon rains have left several roads unmotorable. Several cities do not have proper water supply. Illegal hill cutting is a huge problem in the State which leads to landslides. Several remote villages do not have electricity. Hence free power supply does not have any meaning for these poor people. Electricity power 24X7 without disruption would be more welcome than just 300 watts of free electricity.
Unplanned development has been the bane of the state. Each state in the country is unique with its own set of problems. While air pollution is a huge problem in Delhi, it is not an alarming situation in Goa. Environmental issues like land degradation, deforestation, groundwater pollution and severe damage to the beaches are the major issues plaguing Goa. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the offshore Casinos in Goa. It would have been desirable for the Aam Aadmi Party to make promises which are Goa-centric and not just promise free electricity to Goans.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Floods in Goa are a manmade disaster
The floods in Sankhlim, Bicholim, Amona, Savoi Verem, Khandola, Jua, Cumbharjua, Divar, Pilgao, Chorao, etc, and the surrounding villages were not due to the heavy rains but because of the callous, irresponsible actions of the WRD. One day before the WRD had warned that water from the Anjunem dam will be released in 2 days. In 2018 same thing happened in Kerala but after that they learnt the lesson. Same thing happened in Goa in 2019, but Goa will never learn because a few days later everything is forgotten.
One fails to understand why the WRD has to wait for the level to rise to 90 m to release the water. From July 1 to July 11 there was hardly any rain. So why was the water not released at that time to create sufficient reservoir capacity for the coming rains? In the months of July and August the level cannot be maintained at around 75m? Are the WRD at Anjunem so dumb and lacking in common sense to foresee what will happen that after 2019 again the same has to repeat? Why in advance little by little water was not released as they did at Tillari this time? We do not have control of the rains but we have control over our planning and preventive actions to mitigate disaster.
It’s high time the WRD and the government stop taking the people for granted. It’s almost the same in all govt departments. Lakh of salary and no accountability towards the people.
People have lost their houses and belongings. Also the press miserably failed to ask questions and reported it as caused by heavy rains. Why was the WRD minister and WRD chief engineer not questioned for this? All the locals living in the above areas know that the sole reason for the floods was the release of Anjunem dam water, but only the press and the Govt ignored this. Can only hope better sense will prevail next time.
Mateus Saldanha, by email
Kudos to staff at Mapusa UHC
People sometimes complain about the working of government health centres and at times they are justified. However, there are some government health centres which are really good. One such is the Urban Health Centre at Mapusa headed by Dr Cheryl D’Souza, the Health Officer. This health centre is clean, tidy and well maintained. The doctors, nurses and staff are committed to their job and they serve the people well.
All systems are in place and the patients receive due care and attention. The present vaccination programme is carried out by this health centre efficiently with proper registration, vaccination and certification. The medical and other staff deserve our appreciation. Kudos to Urban Health Centre Mapusa. Please keep up the good work.
Rodney de Souza, Assagao
Suppression of people power
Pegasus opened the door towards wrongdoings of the government officials. From tax officials to revenue officials it’s all about fixing their own accounts on cost of other if issue is raised then judiciary act as guardian in form of appeals, writ petition which gives only dates for our comfort.
From environment issue to ease of doing business issues to common man issue bureaucrats take advantage of the system loopholes which makes difficult to businessmen, Niz Goenkar to sustain in our own Goa. Our Government works on IAS Officers which is sorry state of affairs for not having a government with vision for sustainable and all around development of our people and States. More concern for West India company invading Goa through coal, mining, energy, conversions of land.
Only people can save our government from suppression of our rights by electing right leaders in next election to protect our small Goa from invading and keep it safe for our future generation to sustain in our own land.
Wilroy Luis, Curtorim
