World should join hands to end on-going war
This refers to the editorial ‘When will there be a ceasefire?’ (December 23).
With each passing day, an apparent lack of restraint on the part of Israel’s forces grows. Their action in Gaza is turning more lethal with Palestinian women and children desperately looking for survival from the Israeli onslaught.
What next for an Israeli military campaign that has lasted weeks, left the country diplomatically isolated and has failed to rescue most of the hostages taken by Hamas on October 7?
Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear that fighting will not be stopped until he achieves his goals of eliminating Hamas and releasing Israeli hostages.
Talking of total elimination of Hamas will only prolong the war. Israeli anger at Hamas for its murder of more than 1,000 people in October is real and understandable; it should not dictate military and political strategy.
Most of the world understands that an immediate ceasefire followed by a political process is the only realistic way out of this situation. India having good ties with America, Israel and some Arab countries should do its best to end the on-going war.
Gregory Fernandes, Mumbai
Anti-people projects should be stopped
It is a usual practice that during election time, candidates come to our houses with their folded hands to beg for votes saying that they would do anything for us. But once they win, they transform into a different species altogether!
The elected candidates should be with the people to take up their issues with the concerned authorities and work for the welfare of the village and people.
But in reality, we do not see this on most occasions. We see so many unnecessary projects thrust on the villagers. Many a times, the locals alongwith the help of NGOs and activists fight with the authorities but the
concerned MLA/Minister is nowhere to be seen.
This should not happen. It is said that the government is of the people for the people and by the people. If this is so then why is nobody listening to the masses? Are we living in a democracy or dictatorship?
Jerry Fernandes, Vanxim
Another shocker for Goans
Minister for Law and Environment Aleixo Sequeira has reportedly said that traffic cops need to be deployed with alcometers outside wedding venues and night clubs so that their presence instil fear in party-goers over drinking and driving, and ultimately serve the larger purpose of curbing road accidents. After the time restriction on playing loud music at wedding receptions, with loud music not allowed beyond 10 pm this latest step of deploying cops with alcometers outside wedding halls comes as another shocker to Goans.
It must be said that Goans know how to conduct themselves after having drinks. With hundreds of guests attending a wedding reception, is it possibly for the traffic cops to carry out a test on the people leaving the hall? This seems highly impossible. There could be receptions underway at several wedding halls across the state on a particular night. Can a police force which is understaffed be assigned such a task? It must be said that a person can get drunk even within the confines of one’s home and at private parties.
Will the next step be to deploy traffic cops outside residences where a party is going on? Will it be extended to cops armed with alcometers being posted outside bars and taverns? It must be said that Goans drink responsibly and do not behave like the tourists who after drinks cannot even stand properly, leave alone being able to drive a vehicle.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Consumer protection, a potent weapon
An unhappy consumer stands out like a sore thumb for the government. Nothing can be more important to consumers than salient laws to protect them from unfair trade activities.
The Consumer Protection Act (CPA), 1986 was a landmark in the field of consumer protection, and it was passed in parliament on December 24, 1986. With rights comes responsibility and the Act moulded the consumer to the dual task. The gaps in the outdated 1968 law was bridged by the 1986 Act. The Act underwent significant changes in 1991, 1993, 2002; the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 was perceived a pathbreaker.
Grievances against goods and services, with regard to public, private and cooperative sectors, and compensation, if demanded by a consumer, are decided by a three– tier quasi–judicial body. Redressal of consumer complaints, and resolution of consumer disputes, through hierarchical commissions are important aspects. Right to choose, right to be heard, right to consumer education, right of assurance towards goods and services, right to be informed about the quality, purity and potency of the products, right to be protected against hazardous goods and right to seek redressal—are all salutary features of the Act.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola
Black day for wrestling
That loyalists of Brij Bhushan Saran Singh, who faced charges of sexual harassment levelled against him by some woman wrestlers, have swept the polls to the Wrestling Federation of India, is a sad commentary and a black day for the sport of wrestling in India.
Painfully and disappointingly enough, the results have forced Sakshi Malik, the lone woman wrestler from the country to win an Olympic medal to date, to hang her boots from the sport that she loved much. If Olympic medalists with evidence and all the media coverage can’t get justice and protection from sexual harassment in the country, one can well imagine what will be the kind of justice that an ordinary Indian woman will get. A country, whose mainstream media is furious about jokes on politicians, but was reticent for long on the roiling issue of sexual harassment. We are no country
for women.
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai
Manhunt launched for militants
It’s unfortunate that terrorists martyred four soldiers at Dera ki Gali (DKG) in the border district of Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir. The soldiers were moving towards the DKG area, where troops had launched an intelligence-based operation, when the militants started firing indiscriminately.
The police have launched a major search operation to locate and apprehend the militants. This encounter is the second in the border district of Rajouri within a month.
N J Ravi Chander, Bengaluru
