The very high passing percentage of 85.15 at the SSC examination this year will obviously mean that a large number of students will be seeking admission for Class XI. The authorities should see to it that all get admission to the Higher Secondary Schools as per the percentage and no student should be denied admission for lack of seats. Provisional admission for the Science stream has been cut off at 80 percent while that for the Commerce stream has been set at 75 percent. The students seeking admission to the Class XI need to apply to more than one higher secondary schools in case the admission to the higher secondary school of their choice closes down. No student should lose a year of their academic studies for want of admission to Class XI.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
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Goa symbol is now a JCB
In Goa today in the name of development, the JCB earthmover has come to represent the symbol for the State. Gone are the days when the symbols were the swaying coconut palms, the waves of the sea and the sun. You see the JCB earthmover everywhere nowadays and by right it can claim to be the symbol of the new Goa.
Srinivas Kamat, Alto Betim
Travelling time from Calangute to Panjim must be halved
Considering the importance of Calangute as a tourist hub, the authorities need to improve the available transport facilities. The number of private buses connecting Calangute with Panjim and Mapusa is sufficient. But the operation of these services is very inefficient with each trip taking a long time – 35 minutes to Mapusa and 55 minutes to Panjim. There is a great need for speedy connection with the capital Panjim and the taluka headquarters Mapusa.
Direct Kadamba bus service on these two routes is necessary but this proposal will face strong opposition from private bus operators. Hence private operators may be offered the first opportunity to run some ‘direct’ services along arterial roads from Calangute market to Panjim and Mapusa with few halts at designated stops only. These buses need to be run every half hour. The timings of the last bus leaving Calangute needs to be extended to cater to the needs of tourists. The journey from Calangute to Mapusa or Panjim should not take more than 15 minutes and 25 minutes respectively, which is less than half the time it now takes.
Prof Robert Castellino, Calangute
HC verdict should end confrontation in Delhi
This refers to the Delhi High Court verdict holding Anti-Corruption-Branch (ACB) of Delhi Government empowered to look into corruption involving personnel from Delhi Police. The timely verdict should now end all confrontations regarding Delhi governance where a democratically elected government in Delhi is now acknowledged by Delhi High Court to be the deciding authority in the matter thus finding faults in notification dated May 21, 2015 from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), also rightly requiring the Lt Governor of Delhi to act on the advice of council of ministers for respecting the mandate of people.
Practically also decisions should be based on common sense rather than only on the rulebook. Common sense rules that a democratically elected government should not be treated as a show-piece. MHA-notification of May 21, 2015 even otherwise lacked political wisdom unnecessary diluting commemoration of one year of Modi-government at the centre.
Madhu Agrawal, Delhi
