Use of alcometers: A Catch-22 situation
It is learnt that Goa has reported 16 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, taking the total number to 52. In all, 322 samples were tested for the virus. India recorded 529 fresh Covid-19 cases in a single day, while the country’s active infection count stood at 4,093, the health ministry announced on Wednesday. Three new fatalities, two from Karnataka and one from Gujarat, were reported in a span of 24 hours, according to the ministry’s data.
Goa is in the midst of the festive season. Droves of tourists from different States in the country and across the globe are heading to Goa in order to usher in the New Year, 2024. The State has also witnessed several road accidents in the past few weeks, many of which have ended in fatality. Most of the accidents have been attributed to drunken-driving. Hence the police have stepped-up the drive to check incidents of drinking and driving by carrying out breathalyzer tests. It must be said that using the alcometer can also contribute to the spread of the Covid-19 virus. While it is mandatory to change the tubing of the alcometer after each test, whether it is being done so is anyone’s guess. It may be recalled that during the second Covid-19 wave, the use of alcometer was stopped in order to prevent the spread of the virus. It now seems like a catch-22 situation.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Gift or auction seized sand mining canoes
In 2020, the High Court had ordered that the 26 canoes which were seized in connection with illegal extraction of sand, be destroyed. In this connection on December 26 (Boxing Day) the officers of mining department destroyed one canoe at Naibagh (Pernem) but could not destroy the remaining canoes as there were objections from the locals.
In October 2021 too, the court had ordered that unregistered canoes parked below Amona Bridge and at Oxel-Siolim be seized as these are either in government properties and/or used for illegal sand mining activity. The State’s Advocate-General has assured the court that the canoes would be impounded and destroyed. As per law, is this action not a destruction of evidence?
Instead of destroying the canoes, the government could gift these to poor, deserving traditional fishermen through a lottery system or auction the canoes and use the money for welfare measures. This goodwill gesture would be much appreciated by the recipients, for, after all, the elections are around the corner!
Sridhar D Iyer, Caranzalem
Don’t legalise encroachments
To regularise illegal houses on comunidade land is politically motivated to woo a section of the electorate. Successive governments are taking people for a ride on the issue. It would set a bad precedent and lead to irretrievable loss of community-owned lands. Moreover, the regularisation of illegal structures on comunidade lands will only encourage more such activities. Such land cannot be allowed to be encroached upon.
Any unauthorised or illegal construction on comunidade land should always be demolished. Presently, the menace of illegal and unauthorised construction and encroachments have acquired monstrous proportions and everyone has been paying a heavy price for the same. The failure of the State apparatus to take prompt action to demolish such illegal constructions and encroachments has convinced the citizens that laws are enforced only against the poor and all compromises are made by the State machinery when it is required to deal with those who have money power or an unholy nexus with the power corridors.
K G Vilop, Chorao
Plant trees, save the environment
Since the beginning, trees have provided humankind with two of life’s essentials – food and oxygen. As we evolved, trees provided additional necessities, such as shelter, medicine and tools. It may sound weird, but factually trees speak, and speak constantly, even if quietly, communicating with sounds. They also scent, signal and vibe. Trees are naturally net-working connected with everything that exists. They are a crucial factor to our existence not only because they produce paper and lumber, but equally because they serve as an important role in the carbon cycle.
Planting trees is one of the most powerful and affordable ways to make a personal difference for the environment. Trees offer energy-saving shade that reduces global warming and creates habitat for thousands of species. It is a pity that despite their cardinal importance to human life, we continue to keep felling trees. In recent times, none would have glorified trees like popular Tamil poet and lyricist Vairamuthu did through his well-known and much acclaimed Tamil poem ‘Marangalai paaduven’ (I shall eulogise trees).
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai
Let New Year, EDM be without vices
The ‘hawk eye’ is a well approved initiative by the State government to keep an eye on drug-related and several other atrocities that might occur during the New Year festivities/EDM event. This will go a long way in promoting decent enjoyment in Goa, which is often plagued by drugs, drunken driving, accidental deaths, etc. Furthermore, the use of ‘Raman Spectrophotometer’, along with the ‘Mobile Rapid Screening Test System’, will help to curb out the root of this drug menace.
One must bear in mind that enjoyment is not about getting dead drunk or drugged and creating nuisance/harm to others in a civilised society.
Enjoy the New Year and EDM with decency and charm.
Joseph Savio Desouza, Candolim
