Improper behaviour by policemen
The mission statement of Goa Police is to give people an efficient, law abiding and responsive law enforcement machinery.
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But acts of improper behaviour that we have been witnessing at all ranks within a force that should have been disciplined, only demonstrates that all is not well. There is need to weed out with an iron hand the rotten apples from within the Police establishment to ensure its much needed credibility. Truthfulness must always be at the heart of policing and is fundamental to the public having genuine confidence and trust in their Police.
Every cop must be a dedicated public servant sworn to protect public safety at all times. They must always uphold the law and never dare breach it. Steps must be taken to ensure a disciplined police force. But this may be difficult to achieve as like all other government recruitment, most have found their way into the Goa Police either through political patronage or possibly by paying for the job.
Integrity being the foundation of law enforcement, anyone lacking it should never be in it at any level. The zero-tolerance to any indiscipline displayed by SP Sobhit Saxena must be emulated by all senior officers so that discipline flows down the ranks.
Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar
Rob Peter to pay Paul
It is election time and we will see many more free gifts being offered by politicians and political parties. Free water and free electricity are some of the freebies being offered by the BJP and AAP.
The simple fact of life is that nothing is free in this world. Buy one get one free are also attractive offers where you have to pay for both the products. There is a cost for every unit of water and electricity. If you have increased the tariff for those who are using more means they have to pay for those who are using less than 16,000 litres of water. So in short you have to rob Peter to pay Paul.
Matias Lobo, Tivim
Driving car on the beach
A tourist was reportedly arrested by Pernem police on charges of rash and negligent driving at Morjim beach. The tourist was found driving the rent-a-car on Morjim beach. As the vehicle entered the sea, its tires sank into the soft sand and it got stuck on the beach. The tourist was then unable to drive the car out. A video went viral on social media platforms as well as photographs of the tourist hovering around the stuck car.
In Goa it is prohibited to drive vehicles on the beaches with the exception of those deployed for the purpose of beach cleaning, lifeguard services, tourist security force and police department. These vehicles have been directed to avoid turtle nesting sites as well as sand dunes during patrolling.
The tourist who has been arrested needs to be probed for drunken driving. There is a possibility that tourists hiring the rent-a-car vehicles are not aware that it is prohibited to drive the vehicles on the beach. Driving on the beach sand can prove dangerous for those people lying or sitting on the sand. The vehicle can also destroy marine life that exists below the surface of the sand. The tourist was probably not aware of the consequences of the tires getting stuck in the sand.
It would be in the fitness of things for those carrying out rent-a-car business to create awareness among the tourist renting the vehicle on the dos and dont’s while driving the vehicle in the state. Sign boards reading “Driving on Beach Prohibited” at strategic locations can also serve the purpose.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
An election gimmick
To outdo the AAP and their promise of free electricity if they get elected, the Chief Minister in the run up to the elections has rushed to promise free water with effect from September 1.
Come September, the revised tariffs announced by the PWD has come as a rude and unfair shock to individual house owners. Domestic consumers in the 40m3 to 50m3 consumption category will now witness a massive escalation in their bills.
An individual paying standard charges of Rs 517.50 for 50m3 will now end up paying Rs 750. And an individual paying standard charges of Rs 542.50 for 51 units will now end up paying Rs 1275, more than double the existing charges. And as the units increase beyond 50m3, bills are set to increase further. For 70m3, individual residents will end up paying water charges of 1750 against existing amount of Rs 1017.5.
The government in its efforts to promote infrastructure development and appease the builder lobby has sought to give concessions to them at the cost of individual house owners who perhaps do not matter much in their vote bank calculations.
The Government and PWD Minister in particular appears to have done their calculations well. Rob Peter to pay Paul. What you lose in revenue from appeasing the majority vote bank, recover from the minority who’s voice doesn’t matter.
It would be good to remind the Government that the water tariffs were only recently hiked in January 2021. This goes out as an earnest appeal to the Government to review the revised rates, specially for individual house owners who will bear the brunt of the revised water tariffs under the hoax promise of free water to every household.
Jerry Gonsalves, Porvorim
‘Free water’, there’s a catch
The CM grandiosely announced the ‘ save water for free water’ scheme as per which drinking water upto 16,000 litres can be used free of cost per month by each family in Goa. But here’s the catch, if a family uses even a litre of water above the prescribed limit they will have to pay for not just the excess used but for the entire quantity. Also the minimum rate for water tariff has been hiked from Rs 2.50 to Rs.3.50 per kilo litre, with different slabs for different usage patterns. Considering that the average consumption of water per person per day in Goa is @ 170 lts. A family of four would be using @ 20,400 lts, well above the free 16K limit and would have to shell out the entire charges at enhanced rates.
It is pertinent to note that the availability of treated, potable water in the State is only 530 million litres per day as against a demand of 630 MLD. Hopefully the free water scheme would encourage users to restrict their potable water usage by cutting down on wasteful activities like washing cars, watering lawns, hosing down roads and driveways etc. That said, the government should also augment efforts to provide piped supply to water deficient areas like Mapusa, Ponda, Tiswadi and the rural hinterlands.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Daylight robbery
As we know Form I & IV is an extract of the record of rights for village properties maintained by the Revenue department. People have to submit a fresh copy of this form every time they apply for a service related to their land or house, even for a licence to cut a tree.
In 2018, the fee for Form l & IV was increased by Goa Government by 200 per cent from Rs 15 to Rs 45 even though the records had been computerised. These forms are now issued by Citizens Service Centres and the fee for a single form has been further increased to Rs 57. The cost of downloading Form I & IV is hardly Rs 3 and you can get this form, though unattested, from cyber cafes for Rs 5 only.
In Maharashtra, the official fee for the equivalent downloaded form called Saath Bara (No. 7/12) with digital signature is Rs.15 only. Therefore, the official fee of Rs 57 charged to the public in Goa is a daylight robbery. The people of Goa have been charged exorbitant fee for this simple computerized form for long. The fee should be reviewed and people should not be made to pay through the nose any longer.
Rodney de Souza, Assagao
