Goa needs high speed ferries
It is learnt that the Solar ferry procured by the government by spending almost four crores of public funds is unviable and uneconomical.
The solar ferry also reportedly faced challenges like narrow navigational channels, more water current and longer voyage time. Worse still, these ferries cannot accommodate vehicles and are meant only for passengers. It is common knowledge that in Goa several vehicular owners use the ferry service to cross the rivers.
Was it not known before procurement that the ferry cannot carry vehicles? Will the solar ferry become a white elephant? It is understood that the ferry will now be leased to private parties who can operate them for tourism purposes.
The feasibility report should have been adhered to before spending such a huge amount on just a single ferry. It is leant that the River and Navigation Department (RND) will introduce two new high-speed ferries which will replace the existing ones along the Panaji-Betim route from December this year. These ferries run at a speed of 10 knots/hr as compared to the present ferries which run at a speed of 6 knots/ hr. The vessel can carry eight cars or 150 passengers. Goa needs such high-speed ferries on more routes.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
The voter has put BJP in place
The election to the 18th Lok Sabha, which saw over 600 million voters exercising their franchise, was the largest in democratic history. Although Narendra Modi has secured a third term as India’s leader, his party lost its majority in Parliament.
During the election campaign, he claimed his party would win 400 seats, but they failed to achieve even a simple majority of 272 seats. To form a government, Modi will now need to rely on coalition partners who do not share his Hindu-nationalist agenda.
This could lead to challenges in governing smoothly and potential deadlocks in implementing policies. Modi’s victory may also pose challenges for India’s diverse population. Before the elections, he expressed intentions to amend the Constitution. With renewed mandate, he might pursue these changes. Such moves could alarm the minority communities, who fear marginalisation.
Jubel D’Cruz, Mumbai
US deserves a change of guard
The US deserves a President other than a geriatric one like Joe Biden. For the Democratic Party that gave us the likes of John F Kennedy and Barrack Obama as President, one cannot believe that they cannot give us a more competent person other than Biden. His foibles, faux pas and gaffes have been many like at the recent D Day commemoration event in France where he sat while with the other leaders he should have been standing to pay homage to the martyrs despite being reminded by his wife to stand.
Then at the G-7 summit in Italy he ‘wandered’ away to be rescued by the Italian President Meloni which is a pleasant thought nonetheless shows that Biden’s mental health is not up to the mark to serve the US Presidency for another term.
These incidents as above along with the many other instances in the past on similar lines with Biden indicates that the Democratic Party needs to seriously think about putting up another candidate for the US Presidency. The fact that Trump is leading Biden currently in the approval ratings by 2 points per the latest figures may be because of Biden’s pattern of inconsistencies as above. There are many younger competent people who could be given a chance though they may not be having a significant draw among the electorate to give a fight to Donald Trump who seems to be now a definite shoo-in as the Republican candidate.
Thus the choice with the US electorate for the US Presidency is between a doddering Biden and a convicted felon like Trump.
Srinivas Kamat, Alto St Cruz
PM has ignored people’s grief
BJP leader Dr Subramanian Swamy has recently tweeted, “Modi was invited to witness the G 7 proceedings but not invited to speak because India is not a member of G7 group of important nations. Then why did he go there? To bluff us that he was invited to the top conference. It was like going to a wedding and later claim that he was the bride groom!”
It is also confirmed that Modi was not invited by the G7 group but only by Georgia Meloni, the Right Wing Prime Minister of Italy just to be an observer of the proceedings.
It then appears as if, PM Modi undertook this trip only for his self aggrandising and to present himself in the most pompous way to the world leaders as the winner of the recently concluded general elections. This is also confirmed in the manner he has been happily engaged in the selfie clicks with Meloni.
It is also unfortunate and beyond comprehension that he enplaned to Italy when the country was immersed in great sorrow learning of the sad news that 45 Indian workers were killed in the Kuwait inferno and the cries of the poor families which lost their bread winners in such an unprecedented tragedy were reverberating every nook and corner of the entire nation!
It’s shocking that PM Modi has preferred to attend the G7 proceedings as an observer instead of being with the people who are in distress and pain due to their irreparable losses at least as a moral support.
He should not forget that it is the people of the country who made him what he is today and they are also watching the manner in which he is treating the MN after winning the elections.
Tharcius S Fernando, Chennai
