Wonderful experience at Purple Fest
I was delighted to see that Panjim once again hosted the Purple Fest- “Why purple?” my granddaughter asks! The promenade along the mouth of river Mandovi provides a great surface for wheelchair users to wheel without help from casino land at one end to the swimming pools at the other. I was, however, sorry to find the pools closed as I had hoped there would be facilities for Purple Fest attendees to swim with helpers, hoists and swimming instructors available. Perhaps next year this could be organised as the freedom to move independently in water is a wonderful experience, especially for those with mobility constraints on land.
Karen MacAuslan, Panjim
Need to keep our beaches free from stray animals
The incident wherein a woman from the United Kingdom was injured after being gored by a bull while walking on the Benaulim beach is a matter of grave concern. It must be said that animals on the beaches including stray dogs and stray cattle does not augur well for the promotion of the tourism sector in the state where tourism is already on the decline.
Such incidents do pose risk to tourists. If the raging bull had attacked a child playing on the beach, the consequences would have been much worse. Stray dogs should not be allowed on the beaches due to concerns about hygiene and safety of beachgoers. Dog waste can contaminate the water and sand, posing health risks to the visitors. Additionally, some dogs may exhibit aggressive behaviour or disturb those having a good time on the beach.
Allowing dogs to roam freely on the beaches can disrupt the ecosystem on the beach sand. Local tourists leave behind large quantities of garbage and leftovers strewn on the beach sand which attracts stray animals. It is impossible to fence the beach front to keep away the stray animals due to the sheer length of the Goan coastline. The government and the tourism sector needs to be proactive in keeping our beaches free from stray animals. If not, such incidents will discourage foreign tourists from visiting the state.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
India, Doha have robust ties
The tenth Vibrant Global Gujarat Summit, among other things, stood out for the exemplification of the traditional warmth between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Many MoUs were signed between the two nations for mutual benefit.
New Delhi and Doha have a robust bilateral relation that is based on proximity, history, culture, friendship and vision. The Comprehensive Economic Agreement Partnership (CEAP) between the two signed on 18 February, 2022 was a watershed moment in bilateral ties. One can gauge the importance of CEAP by the fact that this was said to be the first major bilateral pact ever by the UAE. The entire region between the two is now more trade lively.
As in any field, trade hinges on trust and confidence. It is not merely the money that talks; it’s the faith in each other that prevails upon the two to strike it big. Access to markets and investment opportunities are already smoother, thanks to the pact. Ultimately, the game of economics is all about reciprocity or give/take. India is an oil deficit nation but an agricultural surplus one. The reverse holds true for the UAE. So, both stand to gain. Therefore, it was appropriate that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan participated in a joint road show at Ahmedabad marking an enhanced camaraderie between the two statesmen.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola
Ensure safe environment for school children
It is a matter of concern that sexual offences against school children are increasingly coming into focus despite the fact that more and more legal and other safeguards are available to protect children from abuse. Two incidents reported in the past few weeks from Haryana are shocking and they attracted national attention, where school teachers themselves involved in this immoral act. Hence, parents are compelled to not press the complaints “for the sake of the girls’ own future.” But sexual harassment inflicts much suffering on children and causes great trauma which scars them for life. It is the duty of the society and State to ensure that they have a safe environment, conducive to their physical and mental health.
Mohammad Taukir, Bihar
Why the economic arrogance?
India’s potential to be an economic superpower was predicted by experts many decades back, much before the current ruling party was in power! It will be fair to say that all ruling political parties and more, so the citizens are also responsible for the growth!
It surely will be arrogant for any single political party to declare that it can only be attributed to them, as we see what is happening today!
However, the crucial point here whilst I am also optimistic about the superpower potential of the Indian economy, my concern seeps in as we can see our planet heating up with record global temperatures last year i.e., 2023 and the increasing climate change related disasters which are only on the rise!
One of the worst affected countries can be India given its huge population and current high poverty levels; with the threat of more droughts, water scarcities, flooding, landslides, sea water rising, forest fires etc can wreak havoc in particular and all the economic positive boost can be quickly turned into a huge negative and a major catastrophe for India!
The United Nations and other Global Entities are already warning of severe flooding issues with the Himalayan Ice Range Melting at record levels and strangely the Indian leadership very complacent, non-committal and in strange denial mode on this looming national threat!
I hope better sense prevails with the government and pressure from citizens for their politicians to act; sooner than later!
Arwin Mesquita, Colva
Israel has crossed all limits
Gaza-Israel conflict is on from more than three months where many thousands people tasted death. Now South Africa is playing a major role by putting the matter in international court. However, South Africa on Thursday said Israel is subjecting the Palestinian people to apartheid and genocidal acts, at the opening of hearings in a case it brought against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Israel has crossed all the human limits. Attacking only on innocent civilians especially poor children and women has proved to genocide, that is war crime. Hopefully International Court will deliver justice and will bring peace. These South Africans representatives are bravest to stand with truth and weak. May this mark the beginning of the end of this terrible apartheid in Palestine and Western imperialism throughout the world.
Tauqueer Rahmani, Mumbai
