Mobile phones for safety of students
Three incidents of fraudsters posing as police officers and attempting to extort money from parents have come to light in South Goa.
But due to the alertness of parents, the attempts were foiled. Incidents of extortion attempts from parents were reported from Lotoulim, Verna and Chinchinim with the fraudsters saying that their children were in their custody.
It is learnt that the scammers are using emotional manipulation to extort money from panicked parents. Be that as it may, it must be said that all the anxiety parents go through every day as regards to the safety of their school going children can be done away with if the child is allowed to carry a mobile phone to school. If parents get calls from fraudsters regarding their children, they can immediately contact their child on the mobile and enquire about their safety. This would be much quicker than having to notify the teacher or office and having them enquire about the safety of their child. Young girls, if stalked after school hours, can immediately inform their parents by making a call. Every parent’s worst nightmare is not knowing where their child is if he/she is not in the school. Many cell phone providers now offer a tracking option that will allow one to locate the child. School authorities could make arrangements for students to switch off the mobile phones during class hours.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Officials should act on plastic menace
Apropos the editorial of June 12 regarding the threat of Marine micro-plastics the threat of the misuse of plastics is there for all to see. There is also a video doing the rounds imploring the PM to engage the boats which scour the underbelly of the water bodies and extracts all the plastic material polluting the waters.
Huge quantity of plastic waste can be found in every corner of our little State and the authorities do precious little to combat this nuisance. Besides, people are in the habit of dumping different kinds of garbage in the sides of the streets, in bushes and in water bodies without the least guilt as to the damage they cause to Mother Earth.
Go to every town and village in Goa and one can find heaps of garbage lying around and animals foraging in these dumps, often ingesting plastics and other dangerous objects. And most of the time it is cattle which are affected; in a country where the bovines are considered sacred it is shocking to see how little people care about these innocent animals.
In March 2024, I had posted a video on YouTube about the garbage piles lying on the Alto Betim road leading down to the Gurudwara. Heaps of dry garbage comprising mainly of plastic bags and other waste is strewn along the sides of the road and most of it is stuck in the bushes below the road and all this garbage will find its way to the Mandovi river.
Instead of showing so much apathy to a crucial subject ,the MLA along with the Panchayat office immediately should take steps to clear all the piles of rubbish on the entire stretch as even the Penha de Franca Panchayat’s garbage collector displayed his unwillingness to clear these piles of garbage which has flown down to the valley beside the road. And as tourism minister this is one important matter the MLA should take up immediately.
Alwyn M D’Sa, Miramar
Misappropriation of municipal funds
It has been reported that a municipal employee has allegedly misappropriated Margao municipal funds to the extent of 17 lakh, by allegedly crediting licence fees from the fair vendors to his personal account, rather than to the municipality account.
It has also been reported that the employee has allegedly been placed under suspension without assigning a cause for the suspension.
Is suspension all that is called for in what is allegedly a clear case of cheating under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code?
Many a time, a suspension is not a punishment but rather a reward, for most often the employee continues to be paid half wages and eventually get reinstated with all the back wages.
Would it not have been more appropriate to issue a chargesheet and file a complaint of cheating and an FIR under Section 420 of the Indian penal code and let the law take its course ?
Despite citizens reportedly confronting the official of the municipality over the issue, why is the municipality allegedly dragging their feet over filing the criminal complaint?
This is the million dollar question that many of the citizens and residents of Margao and Goa are asking of the authorities!
Rosario Menezes, Vasco
Cyber crime cell should nail down fraudsters
There has been a rise in the number of fake calls from fraudsters informing parents that their children either have been involved in illegal activities, being kidnapped or arrested by police and many similar reasons.
Thereafter the fraudster demands for money to be paid online through G Pay. Most parents panic when they receive such calls as the caller provides details about the child’s correct name along with the names of their parents, address etc.
All this information makes the parents believe the fraudster, thereby a few end up making payments to the latter.
The cyber crime department should find out as to how the fraudster got the details of the students. Our online website data on various government should be safe as this is only the tip of the iceberg as if data is leaked to fraudsters of the criminals have hacked the websites it could lead to disaster.
Wilson da Costa, Quepem
PM should visit Kuwait not Italy!
It is reported that Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to visit Italy to attend G-7 outreach meet and also Switzerland to participate at the Peace summit. This is his first visit abroad after being sworn in as prime minister of the country a few days before. His visit abroad happens at a time when Manipur is burning for over a year now and also 42 of the 49 Indian workers have died in the Kuwait inferno on Wednesday. If the Prime Minister was really concerned and worried about the poor Indian workers who have been burnt to death in Kuwait and hundreds of people who have been killed and continue to be killed in Manipur, he should have preferred to visit either Manipur or Kuwait first after assuming power as PM but he has preferred to undertake his visit to Italy and Switzerland.
Tharcius S. Fernando, Chennai
