Police should abide by SC guidelines
The Supreme Court has said that police cannot serve notices to accused persons through WhatsApp or other electronic modes under the Criminal Procedure Code or Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.
A bench of Justices M M Sundresh and Rajesh Bindal has directed all states and union territories (UT) to issue appropriate directions to police for issuing notices under Section 41A of CrPC, 1973 or Section 35 of BNSS, 2023 only through the mode of service permitted under the law.
Well, the cops from the Goa Police department are habitually known (forget using WhatsApp or other electronic modes to serve notices) for directly barging in Goan houses, harassing and even arresting some innocent people on flimsy reasons at the behest of politicians.
The higher-ups of the Goa Police department will now atleast take a very serious note of the above SC directions and instruct their personnel to henceforth stop harassing some innocent people in the state at the behest of politicians and to follow proper procedures whilst conducting certain exercises or investigations in the name of doing duty in Goa.
Jerry Fernandes, Saligao
New academic year from April 25
The Directorate of Education has issued a circular to all government and aided schools from class 6 to 12 to start the academic from April 25. This is as per new Education policy. However CBSE and ICSE board are already following the same. The schools will have to conduct yearly exams early so as to declare results and know the status of promotion to next class. Goa is yet to follow no detention policy and this will take time to implement.
The classes will be up to 11.30 am till April end and then vacation from, May 1 to June 3 and regular classes from June 4.
Raju Ramamurthy, Vasco
Defunct elevators in Ponda hospital
he recent publication in OHerald on Comatose stage of 7 hospital lifts, including those designated for patients, public and PwDs stopped functioning at Ponda Sub District hospital, calls for urgent repairs.
The orthopaedic patients and those with serious injuries face problems in reaching the concerned wards. In addition, patients moving to different wards on stretchers take a lot of time in the building. The repeated lift issues are due to a lack of maintenance. Many patients in hospitals require support to complete even basic tasks. Patients seeking medical attention have the right to unhindered access to services but lack of facilities here forces them to visit private hospitals and spend huge money.
This raises serious questions about the well-being of patients who are already grappling with health issues. This incident has triggered a public outcry and rendered the Health Department vulnerable to harsh criticism on social and mainstream media. The government should address the pressing needs of suffering citizens rather than diverting attention to other initiatives. The Public Works Department has to be pulled up for the lethargic service.
K G Vilop, Chorao
Is Air travel a nightmare now?
Air travel considered the safest among all modes of travel, has now become, a nightmare for frequent travellers around the world. The collision of an army helicopter with a passenger plane midair off the White House and crashing into Potomac river in Washington killing 67 people on board has chilled the spines of all. Another passenger plane ready for take off at Busan Airport in South Korea caught fire in its tail which spread to the fuselage putting the life of 169 passengers and 7 crew members on board in grave danger. Thankfully they all were evacuated on time to safety and a major disaster got averted.
Though we are now equipped with highly advanced radar
and sophisticated computer operated foolproof control systems in place, still, such disasters do occur and occur frequently nowadays.
Tharcius S. Fernando, Chennai
Of second home and hotel occupancy
It is an open secret that large scale land conversion is taking place in the state and that too in a tearing hurry. Land conversion is carried out to change the use of land from agricultural to non-agricultural purposes. Mass illegal land conversion is also allegedly taking place in the state. Orchard land is being converted into a settlement zone. There is illegal hill cutting going on in several places across the state. All this is being done to make way for massive construction activity. People from other states in the country, especially from Delhi, are buying flats in the state which they utilize as a ‘second home’. All this construction can have short term and long term impact on the state. With the construction boom, the green cover in the state is being depleted which can contribute to climate change. Wildlife is being displaced from their natural habitat and there could be a severe water shortage in the not-so-distant future. The construction activities can also have a negative impact on tourism in the state.
In the long run, visitors to the state could be owning a ‘second home’ in the state. Those who own a 'second home' would prefer to occupy it during their stay in the state and even cook their own food. This could lead to a fall in hotel occupancy and reduction in business for the restaurants. This will reduce the revenue generated by the tourism sector in future.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
No bag day fosters holistic learning
A heavy school bag is pain in the neck for a child. Most of the time, excessive and unwanted stuff, including unnecessary books, render the bags out of proportion. Additionally, proliferation of after-hour tuitions have propelled children to carry bags there too.
Besides text books and notebooks, nowadays there are numerous add--ons that load the bag. An ideal school bag is said to be one that weighs no more than 15 to 20 percent of a child's body weight. Viewed against this backdrop, the decision of the Andhra Pradesh government to reintroduce the " no bag day" for school students every Saturday is most welcome.
This rule was first implemented in 2018; first and third Saturday were " no bag days" then. Students need not carry books, too, every Saturday. This move can benefit the students in a few ways. First, children can have a sigh of relief atleast on one of the school days by not being burdened by heavy bags. Second, they can relax to some extent amidst the excessive pressure of academics.
Third, Saturdays will be focused on holistic development of a student. Children will be encouraged to take part in sports, games and cultural activities like debates and essay writing. However, it is important for the state government to not go back on its aim.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola