Success of persons of Indian-origin
This has reference to the report ‘Indian-origin USAF doctor picked as astronaut’ (Herald, December 8). Yet another Indian origin personality is making the headlines. Anil Menon a physicist and lieutenant colonel at the US Air Force Base has been selected by NASA along with nine others to be as astronauts for future space missions. How does it feel, great, surely! After all, he’s of Indian origin, making it big in the international arena, but, from a foreign country.
How we love to gloat over such news and we go gaga, praising and glorifying such personalities of Indian origin. Just recently, we had an Indian born cricketer, Ajaz Patel, who made it big in New Zealand. His ten-wicket haul in the recent Test match was a perfect 10. So, is it a great moment for us Indians, when we learn of such achievements by people of Indian origin, who have risen to fame, settled in the western countries?
Today, we have such Indians origin individuals heading large business enterprises, etc. Do we stop to think, why is it that our fellow countrymen make able to make a success of themselves in another country? Nothing comes easily. It is hard work that gets paid in the western world. It seems like talent and hard work does not pay dividends in our country! Like it us said, a prophet is never accepted in his own land!
Melville X D’Souza, Mumbai
Wear your masks properly
Many media reports say that Omicron is quickly becoming the dominant Coronavirus variant, with a few cases now being detected in India and it is even more important now to introduce the booster dose, like 30 other countries have, to prevent further outbreaks and loss of lives.
People are known to wear masks on their chins and do not cover their nose and mouths properly. Such careless behaviour will only lead in the increase of Corona cases. It is better to be safe about things than to be sorry later because Coronavirus is a highly contagious disease and spreads rapidly.
Jubel D’Cruz, Mumbai
Authorities complicit in ‘envirocide’
For days Calangute residents have been complaining about large scale clearing of beachside vegetation in a private property but apparently the authorities have turned a blind eye to the proceedings; videos of trees being hacked in broad daylight and sand dunes being flattened are circulating on social media platforms for quite a while now. This is being done barely 50 mts from the beach on sand dunes which is in the no development zone of the CRZ.
In another instance an illegal road is being constructed barely 20 mts. from the high tide line to provide access to a residential bungalow. The panchayat and the government are either too busy with the elections or facilitating the illegality for a ‘convenience fee’.
Also formal demolition orders have not yet been served for the bungalow at Old Goa near St Cajetan’s church which violates every conceivable statute of heritage zone directives. That private parties have been indulging with such impunity in the ‘envirocide’ of Goa makes it amply clear that our elected representatives are totally complicit in these murky affairs. It won’t be too long before we would be staring at a Go, Goahhhhh, Gone scenario. Cry my beloved state.
Rekha Sarin, Benaulim
Crippling bane
Corruption is a worldwide bane that affects different strata of the nation. Almost five per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of developing countries is drowned by the menace of corruption. The developed nations are reeling under the onslaught of corrupt ways of their people and institutions.
Education, health, economics, justice and rule of law are, but a few, spheres of nations that have crumbled by the weight of corruption. It is common knowledge that governmental corruption is extremely harmful to people’s growth as healthy and prosperous citizens.
It also has crushed nations’ development because downfall of governments due to corruption scandals. As American author John Steinbeck said it is not just power that corrupts, but the fear of losing the power that corrodes the corrupt.
It can be sad that power does not corrupt people, but people corrupt power. Fight against corruption has to be a part of culture. People that elect corrupt politicians are not victims but they are actually accomplices in the crime. Actually it is all about unchallenged privileges that give raise to moral and intellectual dishonesty.
While bribe taking is a chronic problem, offering bribe is not considered so. It in itself is a statement because as there are ready bribe givers so there are many bribe receivers. The revolution has to come from within. When many like-minded citizens unite for a cause, change may not be round the corner; but change may appear earlier than anticipated. The youth has a large role in acting as a catalyst of change because it is an age where the mind is generally free of corrupt ideas.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola
Obey traffic rules and maintain roads
Scant respect for traffic rules and regulations is most common cause for major road accidents in Goa and in the whole country. The lack of maintenance of roads and shoddy construction of roads exacerbate matters. Pot holes on every road including village roads and highways are common, as the month of June comes all the roads are washed away and the roads are not fit to be motor able this roads remains unattended for months together and often become death traps.
The traffic administration sends their personnel on the roads to challan the motorcycles and the other vehicles but how many of these government officials have blamed contractors for their shoddy works or given them fines the only reason is corruption from bottom to top. While tendering the work the government should put a clause that if there are any potholes on the roads within one year they should be responsible to repair the roads immediately. Often trenches are excavated for utility lines, without proper barricades or warning tapes which should be a must for contractors otherwise there is possibility of losing human lives.
Diomedes Pereira, Corlim
Fee exemption for traditional vendors
In a move that will provide relief for traditional stall vendors, it is learnt that these vendors will not have to pay the Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) fees at the Panjim feast of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception. Non-traditional stalls have been levied a fee of Rs 3,000 by CCP for the duration. Traditional stalls selling Goan products like roasted grams and ‘Khaje ’also known as ‘kadio-bodio’ are being allowed to operate free of cost. It is understood that these stalls have been exempted from paying the fees because of the challenges they had to face during the past two lockdowns and the pandemic. This is a step in the right direction and could be implemented in parishes where the feast is celebrated today like the Holy Spirit Church at Margao and two rural parishes of Calangute and Moira in Bardez for the period of the fair.
It may be recalled that Goa received its 5th Geographical Indication (GI) in July 2020 for the local traditional sweet dish called Khaje. Khaje was accorded a GI tag under Class-30 of the GI Act. The Bicholim based All Goa Khaje Producers Association (AGKPA) had applied for the GI tag of Khaje via The Department of Science and Technology, Government of Goa in the year 2019. All civic bodies and panchayats could follow this move by the CCP and exempt traditional vendors from the fees during the coming year as and when a fair comes up in their respective jurisdiction.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
