Water aerodromes
need no licence
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In 2010 seaplanes (that take off and land on the sea) were operated in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. In 2015, a seaplane landed with much fanfare in Mandovi River. On October 31, 2020, the PM launched his pet project of a seaplane between the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad and the Statue of Unity near Kevadia in Gujarat’s Narmada district. The government had spent Rs 13 crore, but after 80 days, the services were closed due to high costs.
Now, the Civil Aviation Ministry has announced that water aerodromes for seaplanes would be set-up at 18 places across Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Goa, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. The guidelines allow non-scheduled entities to operate the service, simplified certificate process, no need for a licence, fresh commercial pilot licence (CPL) holders can fly seaplanes and other compliance requirements have been reduced. The relaxed norms would supposedly boost seaplane operation under the Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme and for tourism.
Reportedly, the regulations were carefully planned and prepared after extensive consultations but there are certain grey areas. How can an aerodrome, a high-risk business, be operated without a licence? Is it prudent to permit CPL who may be wet behind their ears to fly seaplanes? In case of an eventuality, would the insurance companies compensate the operators and passengers? The Ministry has asked the States to identify water bodies for seaplane operations. This could be a contentious issue as people would be up in arms due to loss of biodiversity and water pollution.
Re-introducing seaplanes could be an exciting venture, but the Ministry should not sacrifice safety and security of the passengers that could lead to loss of business for the investors in the seaplane industry. The previous companies could not sustain for long and ceased their operations since flying seaplanes is dependent on weather and sea conditions, involves high costs of maintenance, pricey tickets, carries less passengers, usage by a few people, sea sickness, etc.
Sridhar D Iyer, Caranzalem
Harris capable of
trumping Trump
Eight years ago, Hillary Clinton made history as the first woman to be nominated as USA’s presidential candidate by a major party. A proud feminist, she embraced the trailblazing nature of her campaign, portraying it as a quest to break the ‘highest and hardest glass ceiling’. But she couldn’t, despite winning the popular vote. However, this time a great opportunity awaits another woman to make this come true. Kamala Harris is something of a blank slate, who is reintroducing herself to the American people in a way that, Democrats hope, they will find both positive and palatable. The 2024 US election ought to be about electing a leader, who will put country over self and specific plans to address issues, not a candidate’s reproductive physiology. The reality is that women have been shown to be equal, and sometimes better able to recognise and successfully address today’s challenges facing America, and to stand up to bullies near and far. Kamala Harris seems to possess all these qualities to put her foot into the White House. She appears calm, relaxed and very positive, and is capable of trumping Trump.
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai
Cloth bags should only be sold, not rented out
To curb the use of Single Use Plastic (SUP), it is learnt that the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) has reportedly launched the ‘Amchi Pothi’ initiative at the municipal market.
Under this initiative, a kiosk has been set up at the municipal market from where customers will be able to rent reusable and washable cloth bags by paying a small refundable deposit of Rs 20. The cloth bags can be returned to reclaim the deposit. It is learnt that collection points have been set up where people can donate old used clothes from which cloth bags will be made. It is learnt that there is reportedly a lukewarm response to this ‘cloth bag on hire’ initiative in the Panaji market. There could be several reasons for the poor response. For one, shoppers would be reluctant to use cloth bags which have been used earlier by others. There are those, who are strict vegetarians, and the cloth bags could have been used by others before them to carry various meat products and even fish.
Moreover, washing may not completely eliminate the smell of fish from the cloth bags. Secondly, not many shoppers would go hunting for the kiosk providing cloth bags on hire, forget about coming back to the market to return the cloth bag for a refund of a meagre Rs 20. Collecting old clothes to make cloth bags is a good idea. However, these bags should be sold at the marketplace instead of giving them on hire.
Adelmo Fernandes,
Vasco
World Coconut Day
Each year ‘World Coconut Day’ is celebrated on September 2 in major coconut-producing countries, including India.
This special day was initiated by the Asian and Pacific Coconut Community. This day aims to raise awareness about the use and benefits of coconuts across various industries. The day is about coconut as a nutritious fruit, a crucial raw material and a significant crop. India is among the top coconut-producing nations in the world, with States like Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Goa being the leading contributors.
It is an occasion marked by farmers, experts and business people to raise awareness about coconut production to help the industry grow. It also helps the farmers get the right price for their produce in the market. Experts and business owners talk about the advantages of increased coconut production, and various activities are organised for people to understand the countless advantages of coconuts. These can be used in a variety of ways and can do miracles to our overall health.
The theme for this year’s ‘World Coconut Day’ is ‘Coconut for a Circular Economy: Building Partnership for Maximum Value’.
Jubel D’Cruz, Mumbai
Virtue of Sports
Sports India is no more ‘cricket and only cricket’. Sports connoisseurs now fathom the fact that under watchful eyes, reasonable support and proper training, Indian sportspersons can be world beaters. Climbing the ladder of success isn’t easy in the world of sports that revels in cutthroat competition.
But at the end of the day, talent, determination and focus count. Among the older jewels of Indian sports was hockey magician Dhyan Chand who strode like a colossus, captaining the Indian team to many golden moments at the Olympics.
Dhyan Singh became Dhyan ‘Chand’ to reflect the kind of bright ray the man was for Indian hockey. He had all it takes to be a top notch hockey player – skill, speed, stamina and strength. It is apt that his birthday is marked to celebrate ‘Rashtriya Khel Divas’ or ‘National Sports Day’. By all means, the spirit a sport discipline stands for, and the inbuilt message it conveys, are paramount.
There is no single virtue that a sport does not teach. For learning, patience, cooperation, will, desire, focus, longevity and that ‘never say never’ attitude, one need not look beyond sports. Hope in heart and dreams in head are, more often than not, easier said than done. But sports can infuse both.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola
Corroded promises
The nation still remembers Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first speech, where he stated ‘na khaunga, na khane doonga’. The words propelled him to power, painting him as a crusader against graft.
Yet, recent incidents, such as the collapse of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Maharashtra and the leaking roof of the new Parliament building in New Delhi, cast a long shadow over this claim, exposing the crumbling foundations of the much-touted ‘Modi model’. His tenure has been marked by grand announcements and mega projects including vast infrastructures and flagging new trains, but beneath the surface lies a pattern of cutting corners, favouritism and a blatant disregard for quality and accountability. The country has also witnessed gruesome train accidents.
The government that promised to end corruption has not lived up to its expectations. The rush to execute vast projects was driven by political expediency rather than careful planning in order to please the electorates.
Gregory Fernandes, Mumbai
Mumbai to Goa scenic
expressway in a mess
Many years ago, Nitin Gadkari has promised a scenic expressway from Mumbai to Goa, and now it is a potholed road, which cannot be used, and constituents of the BJP alliance government are fighting over its pathetic state, saying it is not fit for people to use in the upcoming Ganesh festivals that starts in about 10 days time. Promises are galore, delivery on them seems to be zero.
Srinivas Kamat, Mysore
