Check chicken
entering Goa
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
Chicken suppliers from Maharashtra reportedly observed a one-day strike alleging harassment by the All Goa Poultry Farmers and Traders Association which led to shortage of chicken in the Goan market. The association had alleged that vehicles coming from Maharashtra did not possess fitness certificates for the birds. It is learnt that the issue is for suppliers from Maharashtra and not with suppliers from Karnataka.
It is claimed that some suppliers were attempting to supply chicken without proper checks and selling it at cheaper rates. It is pertinent to note that various tests and strategies are used to screen for avian influenza or confirm its presence in poultry species. Research indicates that the avian influenza virus can contaminate the surface of eggshells, emphasizing the importance of thorough egg handling, hand hygiene and proper cooking to eliminate risks. One cannot contract the virus from eating poultry that has been cooked properly. Avian influenza harms poultry flocks especially if it’s highly pathogenic.
One should not eat birds that appear sick or have died for some unknown reasons and may show signs of depression, have ruffled feathers, and be quieter than normal. Symptoms of bird flu infections in people have ranged from mild eye infection, upper respiratory symptoms to severe illness like pneumonia. This can happen when the virus gets into a person’s eyes, nose or mouth, or is inhaled. It is absolutely necessary to conduct all checks for chicken coming into the state so that Goa gets disease-free chicken.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Architect of Goa’s
unique identity
There should be no doubt in the minds of Goans that Dr Jack de Sequeira, the doctor turned politician the then leader of the opposition from the United Goans party with his charismatic personality should be christened the father of the
Opinion poll and the architect of Goa’s unique identity which turned the tables against the pro merger Maharashtra Gomantak which was led by Dayanand B. Bandodkar who was supported by the Government of Maharashtra, in the final tally majority Goans by a margin of 34,021 votes tilted the outcome to Goa remaining a separate entity that led to the formation to the state of Goa. Out of the 30 constituencies, 19 voted in favour of two leaves symbol of the anti merger forces, largely supported by constituencies in Salcete which voted overwhelmingly for Goa to remain a separate entity.
It is a matter of great pride that the two life size statues of the Dr. Jack de Sequeira have been installed, the first one in Calangute and the second one at Dona Paula circle. A bust of Dr Jack de Sequeira has also been installed at Merces. Two roads one from Miramar to Dona Paula and the other at Merces has been named after the stalwart of the Opinion poll Dr. Jack de Sequeira. It would be in fitness of things to install his statue in Salcete.
Stephen Dias, Dona Paula
Sunset for
Golden Goa
God has given us ‘Goa’ which is unique in every sense of the word. Beautiful mountains, hills, beaches, springs, greenery, etc. More importantly there was peace everywhere. We were self sufficient, agriculture was our main occupation and we were quite happy and greatful to God for all this.
Alas, all this has gone after Tourism has stepped in. Government advertised and invited tourists to visit Goa. All hell broke out after this. Some ill mannered desi tourists who are arrogant and most of the time drunk, came, saw and conquered Goa from North to South. They now want a piece of land in Goa by whatever means possible. The unending constructions, illegal occupation of our land, ill mannered tourists who go to our beaches, break bottles, cook anywhere, drive anywhere even in no entry zone etc. are the fruits of Tourism. Atleast the foreign tourists are decent and well behaved.
Our hills and mountains have gone for toss, our wells are polluted and the crime rate has hit the roof. The mass influx of migrants has made matters even worse.
We are having beautiful beaches but Goans can’t go there as domestic tourists have made a mess of it. We have beautiful springs but even here it is overcrowded, we have beautiful picnic spots but even these have been captured by tourists. Our roads are no longer safe with many tourists in drunken stupor end up knocking down people here. There is deafening music everywhere. Is this the beautiful Goa in which we were born? Now the government is talking of hinterland tourism
and this will be the end of our Golden Goa. If necessary steps are not taken, we will be outsiders in our own land.
Jerry Fernandes, Vanxim
Maha Kumbh mela-a
celebration of faith
Every twelve years, the festival carries the prefix “Maha,” which means great, as it’s the largest gathering of the Kumbh Mela that’s held every three years in one of four cities (Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik). Prayagraj is hosting the Maha Kumbh this time. The Kumbh draws upon Hindu mythology and the legend of demons and gods fighting over a pitcher containing the elixir of immortality.
Hindus believe that taking a dip in the sacred river will cleanse them of sins, purify their soul and liberate them from the cycle of birth and death, as the ultimate goal of Hinduism is salvation. The Skanda Purana is widely cited to explain the origins of the Kumbh Mela.
The Kumbh Mela has played an important part in history by mobilising and uniting society.
Kumbh Mela in UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity underscores its global cultural significance. But this festival may expect to boost the ruling Hindu nationalist BJP’s past record of promoting Hindu cultural symbols for its support base.
K G Vilop, Chorao
150 years
of IMD
The Prime Minister on the 150th anniversary of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), has targeted zero-error weather forecasting up to three days, and 90 per cent accuracy in forecasting up to five days by 2047. The IMD’s aim is zero loss of life by 2047 for all types of severe weather events by enabling disaster managers, stakeholders, and the general public to take early action following early accurate warning.
The IMD, the nations weather life line institution established in 1875 by the British government to centralize weather data collection in India is one of the oldest meteorological department in the world and as had a steady growth and in recent years progressed by leaps and bounds.
An institution that got established to predict and collect climatic conditions and calculations after a cyclone that struck Kolkata in 1864 and a famine that hit Odisha in 1866 has now taken the role of a saviour not only for India but the whole of South Asian region giving timely warnings of weather changes and also plays a fundamental role in disaster risk reduction by protecting communities from extreme weather events.
Its expertise also supports key sectors such as agriculture, water resource management, energy, tourism, aviation, and public health.
On this historic occasion, the PM launched ‘Mission Mausam,’ an initiative aimed at transforming India into a ‘Weather-ready and Climate-smart’ nation through advanced weather surveillance technologies, high-resolution atmospheric observations, next-generation radars, satellites, and high-performance computing systems.
Accurate forecasts and warnings have saved countless lives not just in India, but in the entire region. IMD in collaboration with the ISRO is doing a commendable job redefining the study and prediction of climate in class of it’s own.
M Pradyu, Kannur
Transparency needed
in panchayats
The gram sabha is one of the most important bodies in the Panchayati Raj System and village development.
Most recently, one can witness unruly scenes in gram sabhas in many villages. This happens when villagers are not happy with decisions solely taken by the panchayat without their consent. It has to be also noted that some village panchayats keep on rotating Sarpanchas and Deputies every few months. Due to this, a blame-game is often played as the present Sarpanch will blame the previous one for any decision taken and so on.
Sarpanchas and their deputies should take villagers into confidence before passing any project in the village. It is time to improve governance, transparency, and accountability in our Panchayats, which will benefit the village and the villagers.
Willie Severes, Majorda
Future of
Indian rupee
Continuing with it’s downward slide, Indian rupee has touched an all time low of 86.70 against the US Dollar losing 66 paise since it breached the 86 mark last Friday. When Dr Manmohan Singh handed over the reigns of the government to Narendra Modi in 2014, the rupee was at 58.58 to the Dollar and Modi accused Manmohan Singh, the most learned economic wizard as the reason for the rupee having gone down to that level and promised to make it one of the strongest in the world during his rule. Alas! Contrary to his assurance, the Modi government has driven the rupee to fall to such a sickening level due to their skewed policies and absolute arrogance not to listen to the advice and cautions of the experts in the field during the past ten years of their misrule. Their ego also prevented them from seeking guidance from experts like Dr Manmohan Singh who is no more unfortunately, there is no financial expert of the ilk of Dr Singh in the ruling dispensation and the cabinet.
One is afraid that the lackadaisical and the ‘we know everything’ attitude of the BJP government might drive rupee to breach not only the 90 mark but also 100 very shortly! In the circumstances, it is not a surprise that economic experts and the opposition leaders have attributed the unprecedented fall of rupee to the incompetency of the Modi government and rightly too.
Tharcius S Fernando, Chennai
