Defer reopening of schools
Schools in the State are scheduled to reopen on June 4 for the new academic year. Incidentally it is also the day when votes polled for the Lok Sabha elections will be taken up for counting.
In view of this, various political parties in the State have urged the government to defer the reopening of the schools by a day or two. Even though there is no link between schools and elections, there seems to be a lot of logic behind this demand by the Opposition parties for various reasons.
Teachers are deputed for counting. This will cause disruption of school activities on the first day of school, which is not an auspicious way to commence the new academic year. Police and government employees besides teachers will be on duty on counting day. This will cause inconvenience to the staff whose children have to be accompanied to school on the first day.
It is learnt that in view of the upcoming counting schedule for the South Goa Parliament seat, four Margao-based educational institutions have been directed to remain closed from June 3 to 5 to avoid traffic congestion on counting day.
On counting day the counting centres will be flooded with supporters of rival parties leading to traffic congestion. After the results are declared there will be victory parades taken out by the winning political party. The scene on the roads could be absolutely chaotic.
The chaos will be exacerbated by the presence of school buses, and private vehicles taking students to school on the first day. Heavens will not fall if reopening of schools is deferred.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Whoever wins will have to deliver
In less than 10 days, we will know the result of the 7-phase election, perhaps one of the most contentious in modern Indian history.
The result will bring to an end the animated and raucous mudslinging and trading of charges that has characterised this Festival of Democracy.
Whoever wins, on June 4, the honeymoon ends and the victor will have to deliver on its promises.
The world in 2024 is hugely different from 2019. We have a war raging in the Ukraine, and a potentially dangerous conflict in the Middle East. Both the UK and US go to the elections and the China-US antagonism will overshadow trade and business relationships in the years ahead, influencing global growth, political power and world peace. The world today has many political hawks starting with Putin in Russia, Erdogan in Turkey and Trump in the USA should he win on November 5, 2024.
Sadly, in India’s festival of democracy, we saw little light on the issues that matter – inflation, food and jobs. Goa has the dubious distinction of having the country’s highest jobless rate.
The issue of the environment hasn’t been even discussed in the poll campaigns.
No political party or alliance can take people for granted. Those people who are rich, poor, educated, uneducated, farmers, unemployed, conservative or liberal or even cynical will have cast their vote for a better India which is their hope.
Those elected must now deliver; nothing less is expected of them.
Brian de Souza, Margao
Mystery shrouds Form 17 C
It is welcome that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has come forward to publish the absolute number of votes cast in each constituency in the five phases, the very next day after a Supreme Court Bench dismissed petitions calling for the Form 17 C to be uploaded in the website of the ECI ( ‘Absolute numbers’- May 27). One really wonders if the absolute number of votes cast in each constituency was readily available with the ECI, why they were dilly-dallying for more than 40 days since the first phase of elections were conducted to come out with the absolute numbers! Further it is not clear whether there is any Constitutional provision that Form 17 C should not be made available to the electorate, when the same is already available with the authorised booth agents of all parties! Is Form 17 C, so sacrosanct?
Release of the absolute numbers after six phases of elections are already over, is not going to serve any purpose. The belated decision of the ECI is like ‘closing the stable after the horse has been bolted!’
The mystery shrouding Form 17 C remains stubbornly unravelled!
Tharcius S Fernando, Chennai
Railways liable for service deficiency
The Railways cannot absolve itself from being guilty when unsuspecting passengers are robbed of their valuables.
The Maharashtra State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission(MSCDRC) has held that the Railways cannot get blanket protection, if the passenger whose money or valuables have been stolen, is able to prove negligence or misconduct on the part of the Railways.
A passenger travelling in an AC coach, in 2018, had said that her valuables amounting to more than Rs three lakh were stolen at night on the running train and sought compensation from the Railways for service deficiency.
Although Section 100 of the Railway Act says the Railways cannot be blamed for the luggage loss of passengers, it also says “unless it is proved that the loss is due to negligence or misconduct on its or its employees” part.
Every employee on a running train has a specific function, train conductor of AC coaches included. A conductor’s job is to secure the safety of passengers. Preventing unauthorised entry into coach, ensuring the coach latches are secured at night, maintaining overall vigilance, and preventing unauthorised persons, beggars and intruders from making way into coaches are a conductor’s responsibilities. Therefore, both the District Commission and MSCDRC felt that the Railways was liable for faulty or deficient service.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola
Keep hydrated to avoid heat strokes
The scorching summer heat has made its presence felt in several parts of northern India with patients scurrying to outpatient departments (OPDs) to report stomach aches, muscle cramps, vomiting, fever, diarrhoea and other infections.
Heat-related illnesses might be a regular affair every year, but as heatwaves become more intense these ailments flare up with newer symptoms.
Come summer, hospitals begin to add beds in anticipation of patients arriving at the emergency room, collapsing because of heatstroke or dehydration.
But prevent heat strokes better to avoid dehydration by drinking enough water with salt and sugar.
M R Jayanthi Subramaniam, Mumbai
