Disqualification cases must be disposed fast
The Goa Assembly Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar has stated that there is no specific time limit set for deciding the disqualification pleas against the eight turncoat MLAs who switched sides after the Goa Assembly elections 2022. He has contended that this is a legal matter and courts take several years to decide cases. The case before him is only one year old.
The comparison is odious. Courts are burdened with thousands of cases and drag on due to paucity of judges. In this case there is only one case before the Speaker and he can easily dispose of the case in a matter of days…if he so desires. Delay will set a bad precedent, with MLAs merrily switching parties, knowing that they will not be disqualified before their five-year tenure gets over.
Robert Castellino, Calangute/Mumbai
Sextortion takes root in Goa
Goa police have uncovered a huge racket in which good looking girls from poor families are lured with money, to file false rape cases against men across the country. This interstate criminal activity involves pimps identifying needy girls and offering them money to target individuals. When the girls realise it’s easy money they don’t leave the racket or cant get out of it. It’s a vicious cycle. In fact they are then blackmailed by the pimps who threaten to report them to the police.
The modus operandi is the women contact prospective clients online, travel and stay with them in Goa and then threaten the clients with a rape case if they don’t pay up huge sums. Those who refuse, end up in police custody. In addition the pimps contact the accused’s relatives to extort money from them on the pretext of hushing up the case. This new kind of sextortion racket which has taken root in Goa needs to be tackled at the earliest.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Government jobs, deja vu?
Our hon’ble Chief Minister has announced with much fanfare that the government will soon fill 700 posts through the Goa Staff Selection Commission. The said posts comprise 200 vacancies for LDCs and 500 for multi tasking staff. He claimed that the process of selection will be transparent and start immediately after advertisements are published in newspapers and on the commission’s website.
Memories of the PWD recruitment scam are still fresh in our minds with the then minister getting away scot free after making a neat pile. The appointments were subsequently cancelled and the recruits were left high and dry. Hope the same does not happen this time around and deserving candidates get a look in.
Rekha Sarin Trehan, Benaulim
All Saints’ Day
All Saints’ Day is a Catholic festival celebrated to honour the saints. The feast is celebrated on November 1 by the Catholic church. The Catholic celebration of All Saints’ Day (November 1) and All Souls’ Day (November 2) stems from a belief that there is a powerful spiritual bond between those in Heaven (the ‘Church triumphant’), and the living (the ‘Church militant’). In Catholic theology, the day commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven.
Jubel D’Cruz, Mumbai
Stop war crimes against Palestinians
The ongoing bombardment of Gaza by Israel evidently looks like ethnic cleansing, genocide, and barbarism that has been going on for 75 years and more. The atrocities and massacres of Palestinians are the biggest failure of world leaders and organizations. The murder of new-borns and children has appalled humanity and falls under the category of war crimes. In this fresh episode of bombardment has left children without their parents, hospitals have been attacked and medical facilities of the state have collapsed entirely. The dreadful sight of this barbarity is been consciously over-looked by imperialist forces such as the USA. We ought to open our eyes and call upon this brutality and put an end to this unjust war.
Simran Shaikh, Ponda
Goa – land of sun, sea, sand and sports
Goa can now be known not only as a land of sun, sand and sea but also sports. The four-day Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour 2023 Goa Challenge was held at Miramar beach from October 19 to 22 for the very first time. Beach football, which remained a fringe sport in India all these years even though FIFA has hosted 11 editions of the Beach Soccer World Cup so far, is now a part of the National Games in Goa.
The top seven teams from the men’s National Beach Soccer Championships and hosts Goa, are fighting it out for the title at the Colva Beach. Sports need not be restricted to just the stadia. Beaches can be a place to play various sports such as beach basketball, cricket, handball, rugby, wrestling, polo and indigenous sports such as Kabbadi, Kho-Kho, Yoga to name a few. Goa can cash in on its vast coastline and host various national and international beach sports.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Vomiting cases in KTC EV buses a concern
KTC EV buses are plying on the Vasco, Margao and Panjim routes. All these are AC buses are closed with no ventilation. There are many passengers who are affected and start vomiting in the buses. The KTC should provide have some notices put in the buses and at ticket counter that passengers who vomit when travelling should not travel. The said vomiting passengers create nuisance for other passengers.
Many tourist in Vasco travel to Panjim by these buses as trains come to Vasco from other states. I therefore make a request to KTC authorities to make recorded announcement in both Hindi and English so that children and adults who will possibly vomit should not use the closed AC EV buses. Or provisions should be asked to carry plastic or paper bags so as to use the same whenthey vomit.
Raju Ramamurthy, Vasco
Robust railway signalling system
Recently there were two unfortunate railway accidents in our country. Such accidents send instill undue fear in the ordinary train travellers. Certainly, travelling by train is by far the cheapest and the most convenient mode of travel. Therefore, safety measures in railways should be the priority of the Government of the day.
It is long overdue to upgrade the railway signalling system especially when new trains such as Vande Bharat are being introduced. A robust signalling system which includes anti-collision devices needed to be installed in every train. Such a system may avoid catastrophic railway accidents in the future.
Rui Pereira, Navelim
