Attach significance to
‘Opinion Poll day’
It is learnt that activists as well as some politicians in the state are working behind the scene in order to commemorate the Opinion Poll Day with focus on Mhadei. Opinion Poll day is commemorated every year on January 16, though on a low key. It was on this date in 1967 that Goans voted against merging Goa with Maharashtra and chose to remain a Union Territory. MGP’s Dayanand Bandodkar became the first Chief Minister of Goa, Daman and Diu and Dr Jack de Sequeira of the UGP became the first Leader of Opposition in 1963. The Opinion Poll is the reason Goa exists as a separate state. Actual statehood happened on 30th May, 1987, when Goa gave up its union territory status to become a state and also gave up Daman and Diu. But this would not have happened if Goa had not voted in the 1967 Opinion Poll to keep its separate status and not become part of Maharashtra. The Opinion Poll Day needs to be given due importance due to the tremendous significance attached to this event in the history of Goa. It would be in the fitness of things to observe the Opinion Poll Day on par with Goa Statehood Day which is declared as a state holiday.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Goa’s roads – a current disaster
Unless there is a sustained people’s movement in Goa to demand good and durable roads, the perennial potholes will never vanish.
It is high time Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral realise and come to terms on the need for good roads. They should be advised that a good road is one that is laid on a hard compact driving surface which is built to withstand the wear and tear it will be subjected to by our Goa weather. Acid rain, sea salt deposition, maximum estimated traffic density and load all add to the stress and strains to be endured. Roads should be designed to be totally water resistant, standing on hard, solid ground with proper deep roadside drains and soft bottoms for soaking the rainwater besides being designed in consultation with the local community who are familiar and conversant with the landscape and local traditional drainage.
But with corruption and commission at the helm, our roads are not being constructed according to local geology and subsoil besides certainly not waterproof. Needless to say they are being hastily built to meet deadlines without proper parallel drains as a result of which the water stagnates causing erosion.
The authorities are not considering traffic density, load, speed and wear and tear while planning our roads which are also wilfully damaged due to frequent digging and rain containing acidic sea salts which destroys the hot mix as they are built without consulting the knowledgeable locals.
Rampant corruption in certification after completion by manipulating original specifications is another eyesore. If the tender asks 25 mm premix hot carpet then only 18-20 mm thick is applied and bills show 25 mm. The certifying engineer and contractor manage it all and there is no independent audit done to inspect and expose such corrupt practices.
The onus on bad roads also lies on the total disinterest of village panchayats, gram sabhas and municipal authorities who fail to monitor technical details of roads passing through their areas as well as their subsequent construction, maintenance and repairs.
Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar
Rest in peace Pele
While offering my heartfelt sympathies for all the family members of the late Pele whose mortal remains have just been interred but before that the Casket carrying his body was kept for the innumerable fans and admirers of his to pay their last respect to him. I don’t think any other dead person received such a massive gathering of people for his funeral. Even the great foot-baller colleague Garrinha of Pele in the Brasilian squad, when he died about a quarter of a century back had less number of attendees even though Garrinha was considered as good as Pele if not slightly superior, at Maracana Stadium when his mortal remains were also kept for the people to pay their last respect just like that of Pele.
Obrigado Senhor Pele and Adeus to you forever, we will never get another like you because men like you come to this planet only once. You brought honour and respect not only for the beautiful game of soccer but you have simultaneously brought honour and dignity to soccer by inculcating in you a sense discipline, decency and dignity which attributes were abhorred by most of the top foot-ballers thereby lowering the image of this beautiful game. You have proved to be a model for others. It is a pity that we are not having very good footballers now because the current system of playing football is interested in making money by bypassing qualitative soccer. Pele would never become a Pele if his mode of play was controlled by others who were counting their millions by sitting outside on the bench.
While writing this obituary though my eyes are getting wet but I deny my real tears to you Senhor Pele because millions of litres of tears must have already poured out by the millions thus making my tears being excess, useless.
Pele was responsible to introduce many tricks of playing soccer but the best he perfected were Cycle Kick, Banana Kick and Play the ball off an opponent’s leg. Many times he abstained from repeating his tricks to prevent others from copying the same.
In his death the football is become empty and it will remain so for years to come because his records are unbreakable. RIP.
A Veronica Fernandes, Candolim
Modi-centric
discourse
The BJP historic win was expected and did not surprise me, but I did not expect the Congress to win in Himachal Pradesh but the public voted as per their trend of not electing the ruling dispensation.
The BJP faces multiple challenges in Karnataka, Chattisgarh and Rajasthan, which go to the polls next year. But, nationally and popularity wise, I personally feel Narendra Modi is the most popular leader in our country and he will continue to rule the roost for some more years or till there is more popular leader of the opposition leader in picture. If Modi is out the picture, the BJP will bite the dust with not even 100 seats.
The Congress needs to control it’s sharp downfall, and make sure that it does not lose the opposition vacuum the BJP has created to the AAP then oldest party will be wiped off from the political map, it is not easy but Congress should be care careful about the pros and cons of revamping the party and this can happen by inducting young blood in the party and even they have to replace with a young and popular President of the Congress they should not shirk from the responsibility. Hope something extraordinary happens in Congress Party in the new year 2023 to get ready for the general elections in 2024.
Diomedes Pereira, Corlim
Spurious cough syrups
Rising cases of spurious cough syrups are indeed a cause for concern. It involves medications that have been exported abroad to an African nation and recently Uzbekistan.
In India itself there are various cough formulations available in the market. Anyone getting a cough has to usually go through a regimen of 2-3 different cough syrups prescribed. A number of them are found to be ineffective.
Those cough syrups which are found to be consistently ineffective could perhaps be grouped together under the heading, ‘Bewa-Kuff’or ‘Bewa-Koof.'(Hindi for fool).
Vinay Rodrigues,
Margao
