Roads need proper signages
It must be said that road signs give an indication about road conditions and act as guide for drivers to follow at major intersections, roundabouts or junctions, to make sure that traffic functions properly.
Road signs alert drivers to potential hazards, dangerous driving situations and other factors and also communicate important information such as speed limits, road conditions, and upcoming road-works.
It is critical that they be prominently displayed to command attention and placed in such a way that drivers have enough time to respond to the command given by each sign. However it is observed that in Goa, road signs leave much to be desired. Several road signs need a fresh coat of paint or are obscured by foliage. Road digging is carried out at several places in the state without putting up the mandatory cautionary sign-boards.
Several two-wheeler riders have fallen in the pits during the ongoing Smart City works in Panaji and some have even lost their lives. On the contrary in Goa, roadsides are dotted with numerous illegal hoardings which pose significant safety hazards.
Positioned in precarious locations, these hoardings serve as distractions to drivers. The state directorate of transport recently carried out a survey of mobile hoardings across Goa. These vehicles operate as advertising billboards and digital screens and are stationed at public spaces, footpaths, roadsides, junctions and intersections. What Goan roads need is proper signage and not illegal hoardings.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Solve problems of tiatr, natak organisers
Your article ‘Sound Check: Tiatrists dare Gaude to sit with audience, watch tiatrs at KA till the end’ (Herald, 13 May) is entirely based on facts. Tiatr lovers who have missed shows for a long period of time due to the closure because of renovation of Kala Academy were happy to attend the shows back in Panjim.
Despite of attending various shows, we witnessed that additional sound system was brought in by the organizers due to malfunctioning of the KA sound system.
On Sunday, I had attended the morning show at 10.30 and there was a glitch no sooner the show had started. There was power failure for a short time much to the anguish of the audience present and the same was repeated during the show for almost four times.
Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude should look into this matter with deep concern and stop criticizing the tiatr and natak organizers who bring their grievances before him and solve their problems .
John Rebello, Old Goa
Stop indiscriminate digging of roads
With the frequent, indiscriminate digging of roads, Ribandar and Chorao island residents and commuters have no option but to go through a harrowing ordeal.
Free movement of vehicles is hindered and it has become a nightmare for motorists to navigate the stretch. Commuting to Chorao Island from Ribandar ferry is a herculean task.
In fact, roads in the entire State are horrible as there is constant digging.
The constantly dug smart city roads have turned into a nightmare for motorists. With digging, Ribandar too looks like a graveyard and less said the better about the smart city.
K G Vilop, Chorao
Bumrah most valuable bowler
The sympathy for bowlers in the IPL has never been as strong as in this season, where batters have pulverized the ball and have broken records with ease. However, if there is one bowler who still commands respect amidst the batting carnage, it is MI and India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who has taken 18 wickets so far with an exceptional economy rate of 6.21, the best by any bowler in IPL 2024.
In terms of varied skills a pacer can have, hardly any fast bowler in present day international cricket comes close to Bumrah. No matter the format or the game situation, Bumrah will be at you with his skill, mind, and everything that helps him get a wicket.
The whippy action and his bent back also help him to hit the deck consistently, and his seam position extracts every ounce of lateral movement off the pitch.
With the old ball, the extra moment that Bumrah gets becomes deadly, especially when reversing. And that’s what obliterated England batter Ollie Pope’s middle and leg stumps in the Vizag Test in February this year. Bumrah is a bonafide great and the most complete modern day fast bowler.
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai
Inhuman living conditions in Gaza Strip
The Gaza Strip stands as a testament to the resilience of its people. The conditions of their livelihood are unbearable; Gazans have been enduring hardship since before October 7, 2023. The constant missile attacks from Israel on the Gazan civilians have inflicted a heart-wrenching toll on civilian lives. At the heart of this issue lies a war on children, a war on innocence that should have been protected.
More than 28,000 Palestinians have died since October 7, 2023. At least 12,000 of them were children.
Jubel D’Cruz, Mumbai
Afghan floods are devastating
Afghanistan is back in the news as devastating flash floods have taken a heavy toll on people and properties in a few provinces after Friday’s torrential downpour. Northern Baghlan, in particular, was badly hit with as many as 300 people losing their lives and about 1500 injured. More than 2000 houses have been damaged as well as destroyed. Some areas saw road connectivity being disrupted leading to difficulty in accessibility.
Observers have described the situation as a “humanitarian emergency”. More than 80 percent of Afghans make a living through agriculture in a country ravaged by decades of war, instability and chaos; several farmlands have been submerged by the floods. Plenty of people have been forced to take shelter on streets with no roofs on their heads. Besides shelter, people badly need food and medicines.
The United Nations has responded to the crisis, and World leaders should follow suit. Relief workers struggle to help the affected through destroyed roads and bridges. Although since mid April there were rains on a small scale, the Taliban government wasn’t on its toes. However, it is evident that the regime is doing its best now. It’s a wake-up call, too, for the Taliban.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola
