Letters to the editor

As a UK guest who has been holidaying in your beautiful country for several months a year for the last 14 years, I read with interest your front page article, February 14, 2019, about the reported decline in tourism, together with the article in today’s edition, 17 February 2019, reporting the downturn in Charter flights. I thought I would give a tourist perspective. 

In the many years I have been coming here, there have often appeared obstacles that mar the tourist offer. For example, two years ago we had the currency debacle, where guests arrived here and found they either couldn’t withdraw money or had to queue at ATM’s for many hours to do so. Previously there was the threat of the 90 day Visa, with a 60 day no-return rider that was never enforced, but nevertheless convinced many long term visitors it wasn't for them. And this year many experienced extreme difficulty in obtaining an e-Visa, simply because there was a long-standing technical error on the Visa webpage that would not allow full completion. 

I know that many potential guests gave up applying in frustration and, much like Finnair, at least one UK tour operator slashed its flights as a result. Unscrupulous private landlords are charging rents that are over 30% up on last year. There are reports of tourists who have booked private apartments and then arrived here only to find that their property is not available - something that has happened to me on two occasions.  Add to the mix the continuing practice of overcharging by tourist taxis and it’s no wonder visitor numbers are down and previous customers are going elsewhere for their holidays, never to return.  

You are in the midst of something called ‘reputational damage’ and something drastic needs to be done to stop it before key parts of the industry price themselves out of the market and tourism here is damaged irreparably.

Against that, you have the local, hard working, business owners running shops, stalls, jewellers, restaurants and beach shacks, who continue to provide a good quality service and hold their prices. Local food and fruit/vegetable prices and general living expenses seem largely unchanged year on year, and Tuk-Tuk charges vary little.

So these are the problems that need to be addressed - for me, the cost of a Visa and the presence of formalin in fish are comparatively minor issues.

John Thorogood, Colva

The state elections are approaching. There is a hue and cry about the ruling government not paying attention to providing jobs to our aspiring youth. So there is a sudden spurt in action to do the needful and provide jobs for votes. No attention is paid to the capacity of the exchequer as all stops are pulled and caution thrown to the winds! After all its the public who will finally foot the bill.  

And a very many of the aspiring youth already have jobs in the private sector. They will do anything to get a government job. The reason is that pay in the private sector is so low in Goa that senior executives in a private companies have grandiose positions with minimum survival payment.

Their salaries are sometimes a third of the lowest of government salaries. And so how is the government going to provide jobs, when there is no need of new workers, and cheat the public in this process?  It is about time that private companies start paying their employees real salaries instead of bleeding them along with their families. The mining workers do not seem to realise just how much they have been exploited. 

The next sector is the hotel lobby, supposed to be a mainstay of our tourist industry where employees are worked harshly with shameful salaries. Professionals, specialists, etc are abused and bullied by employers who are given a free hand by the government.

 If the private sector gives Goans  fair salaries, the burden on the government will stop. The government must act immediately.

Carmo Costa–Viegas,  Assolna

Death spares none and when it stings, its consequence is severe. So was it, after fighting a battle for survival Francis D' Souza, the ex-dy chief minister of Goa, succumbed to his destiny.  But a holiday declared on Friday 15, inconvenienced the general public, particularly patients seeking medical attention. The entire govt machinery came to a standstill, nay public hospitals; schools as well. What did it benefit anyone? Some left on a long weekend holiday.

It's only here in India a holiday is declared at the drop of a hat, so to say. So was it at the death of late Francis D'Souza. Whatever it be, good or bad, people associated with him paid him his last respect. The funeral is over and life is back again the same as it was before his death. 

In Konkani there's an ancestral saying: Melea patlean khuim sonvsar sompona (at the death of a person, the world doesn't end). Rightly so, the world exists, life goes on, but that one-day declared holiday made no sense, some didn't even know who Francis D' Souza was at the district hospital which wore a deserted look causing inconvenience to those who came for medical attention on an urgent need.

On the death of a high-profile national or state personality declaring a holiday the nation or state should not be held at ransom. Rather, let our footsteps be exemplary for the next generations to follow that this world be a place for all to live in peace, harmony and brotherhood. This should be our legacy for all times to come.  

Ayres Sequeira, Salvador do Mundo

With the Lok Sabha elections round the corner the state government is all set to fill up vacancies at various government departments on top priority. The High Level Empowered Committee (HLEC) has already cleared 3000 vacancies. Subsequently, salary of new recruits would cost the state exchequer Rs.120 crore annually. 

Indeed, the MLAs and Ministers would now be busy in sorting out list of candidates of their choice in filling up the new vacancies. Over the years, this practice continues and efficient candidates ultimately are the losers as they do not secure the government job either because they do not have influence or the capacity to pay huge sums of money for acquiring the same. Although the vacancies are to be filled on merit basis, this aspect has remained neglected.

 It is absolutely necessary for the state government to see to it that the present 3000 vacant posts are filled strictly on merit basis. MLAs and Ministers should be banned from interfering with the same. Similarly the practice of employing 4-5 persons from a single family in government departments should end once and for all. The principle of ‘One job per family’ should be followed compulsorily. This in turn would not only assure justice to efficient candidates but would also go a long way in bringing transparency in the recruitment process.

Pravin U Sardessai, Adpai

It is indeed shocking to read that there are 128 cases pending in the State Vigilance Dept. some of them since the last 12 years.

It begs the question, is this downright lethargy, which has been in the government departments or is there an ulterior motive to protect the corrupt through such interminable delays.

Why can't a common sense approach be adopted to prioritise the processing of cases involving the largest amount of ill gotten gains/losses to the government, if the Departments resources are indeed stretched.

Let the authorities that be, walk the talk, of zero-tolerance on corruption, and let it not be, only a slogan for election manifesto.

Paul Pereira,  Velim