Share footages
with the police
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Under ‘Project Netra,’ the Goa police has mapped the CCTV cameras in the State. This stupendous task was carried out in a month and encompassed CCTV cameras installed at homes and establishments. A total of 6,810 cameras were recorded from 1,335 locations. The aim of the project is to check the cameras during an investigation, enable real-time vehicle movement monitoring and to help detect crimes. During any investigation, the police would check the cameras that they need. The police could make the project open-ended with a format to be filled online and uploaded whenever anyone installs or dismantles the CCTV cameras. The details of the owner, location, number of cameras etc. could be sought in the form. The information would help to update the database.
The Chief Minister stated that there is no legal mandate or regulations in force for the owners of the houses or establishments to share the footage and this is left to the discretion of the property owners. This aspect is puzzling because footages of the crime scenes, criminals and suspects would be required by the police when they crack a case and present the evidence to the courts. The exercise of mapping the cameras could be defeated if there are no laws to make it obligatory for the owners to share the footages with the police and other investigative agencies.
Sridhar D’Iyer, Caranzalem
Govt must relook into
issue of languages
This has reference to the article ‘Hindi as compulsory subject’ (Herald – February 20, 2025). Antonio Lobo has provided good insight into the subject of Hindi as a compulsory subject. The government ought to take a relook into this issue of languages in the school syllabus.
In English medium schools, as the author points out, students’ percentages suffer in the SSC exams on account of Hindi. Students however, must learn other languages, it is good for them in the long run. The authorities on their part, must look at the possibility of keeping away languages from the evaluation process. There are many languages in our country and each one of them is important, as such, all of them are ‘national’ languages. India is a multicultural country after all.
Melville X D’Souza, Mumbai
Living on
the edge
Today, most food that we eat is said to be adulterated with contaminants and toxic colourants. Metanil yellow is used in dal as an adulterant for colouring. Readymade masala powders are adulterated with artificial colors, starch, chalk powder, etc to increase their weight and appearance. Turmeric powder is adulterated with cancer causing lead chromate and metanil yellow. Formalin or formaldehyde, which is normally used to preserve dead bodies in morgues, are used on fishes to delay their decomposition. Poultry and cattle are fed with anabolic steroids to speed up muscle growth and fattening.
Fruits like bananas, mangoes, papayas, etc. are artificially ripened with calcium carbide and other hazardous chemicals. Water melons are injected with harmful chemicals like erythrosine (a pink dye commonly used for food colouring) to boost sweetness and make the pulp more red.
Recently, there were reports that fake eggs were being sold in the market. Such eggs were reportedly being made of sodium alginate for albumen and yolk formation, tartarazine dye for yellow food coloring, calcium chloride for the thin membrane surrounding the albumen, and paraffin wax and calcium sulphate dihydrate) for the eggshell.
Milk is adulterated with maltodextrin, starch, flour, benzoic acid and boric acid, etc to increase its density increase its shelf life. Preservatives like sorbates (e.g. potassium sorbate), benzoates (eg, sodium benzoate), citric acid and ascorbic acid are widely used in commercial health drinks and beverages to inhibit microbial growth, maintain freshness and extend shelf life. The common man gets piped water supplied, which is sometimes muddy and non-potable.
There is also no guarantee that the bottled water is actually mineral water from springs and mountains. Just like the famous line, ‘water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink’, in Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem, ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’, water is around us but is often not clean or safe enough to drink.. When all is done and dusted with adulteration and contamination of food and liquids being the accepted norm, it is time to coin a new line: ‘food, food everywhere but not a bite to eat’. Today, we are literally living on the edge. When will we wake up from our slumber and smell the coffee? It is no use crying over spilt milk if we do not act now.
Rosario S Fernandes, Arossim
Safety guidelines
needed for events
Atleast 18 people, including women and children, died after a huge rush of passengers caused by two delayed trains and a special Express train to Maha Kumbh led to a stampede at the New Delhi Railway station recently.
Considering recent tragedies resulting in significant loss of life, there is an urgent need to reassess and strengthen safety measures for large-scale events like the Maha Kumbh Mela. Investigations have identified factors such as overcrowding and communication lapses as primary causes. While these incidents underscore challenges in crowd management, no evidence points to intentional efforts to undermine the festival’s reputation. We call upon authorities to implement comprehensive safety protocols to safeguard the well-being of all participants in future gatherings.
Gopalaswamy J, Chennai
Stampede at Delhi
railway station
Atleast 18 people, including 11 women and five children died after a huge rush of passengers caused by two delayed trains and a special Express train to Maha Kumbh led to a stampede at the New Delhi Railway station on Saturday night. Dozens have been injured into the incident and are undergoing treatment at nearby hospitals.
The visuals show people with children trying to board the train through windows and leaving no space to breathe.
There needs a system to control crowd outside the railway station and tickets issued be monitored as per the crowd. People do not seem to have have patience while boarding trains. Many blame the government for the security lapse and crowd management. .
Raju Ramamuthy, Vasco
