Expenses on Tejpal case
Government should come clean making public total expenditure incurred so far on the Tarun Tejpal Case which has been on for almost eight years. With the trial at the Sessions Court, the case on various issues traveled to the High Court and Supreme Court several times. It is estimated that the government must have incurred expenses of approximately Rs 10 crores on this case which is yet to see its finality. With that money, the Government could have set up a state of the art full-fledged Health centre at the Old Ribandar Hospital to cater to the health needs of all instead of politically and vindictively hounding one individual.
It is anguishing that the State exchequer has been drained on account of the witch-hunt waged by the BJP against Tarun Tejpal. Why should the tax-payer have to bear the brunt of such a wasteful politically orchestrated plot? Will the government enlighten us as to in how many other cases it has suo motu initiated criminal proceedings and gone hammer and tongs as done in the Tarun Tejpal case by incurring such a huge mind boggling expenditure? Could we also know in which other cases Goa Police has demonstrated such rare enthusiasm to investigate? The financial pain faced by the tax payer on account of this case is far from over.
The appeal now filed by the Government against Tarun Tejpal’s acquittal will take a couple of years to be decided by the High Court and then the last round in the Supreme Court may also take long to see the last curtain drawn. The ego of the BJP and its all-out vindictive battle to settle scores with the founder Editor-in-Chief of Tehelka has been unduly burdening our cash starved State. And when this is all over besides the financial burden incurred we would have to also account whether judicial time was judiciously spent especially in view of the huge pendency of urgent matters in courts. Was it all a criminal waste of precious judicial time?
Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar
Give justice to the Jesuit priest
It is with deep concern and disappointment I write this piece in reply to the pathetic story of a Roman Catholic Jesuit Priest Fr Stan Swamy, as reported in Herald dated June 8 and who is languishing in Indian jail not for robbing the country’s resources nor for being corrupt as innumerable politicians are. Keeping him in jail for such a long period without even giving him the privilege of bail is something unimaginable.
Is there nobody in whole of India among the top politicians and bureaucrats who enjoyed best of discipline and privileges of the Jesuits during their scholastic career so as to force them to raise this issue at an appropriate forum to get Fr Stan released from the prison that he is undergoing allegedly on false charges? He was as understood arrested on charges of converting the Adivasis but who proved it was so? As for my elders who were converted and I the descendant of the converted Christian either forcibly or voluntarily, I feel very happy and applaud my elders for getting converted into Christianity instead of keeping me unconverted and face all the discrimination as a commoner in the name of religion.
A Veronica Fernandes, Candolim
Healthy people, healthy nation
It seems rather odd that the govt of the day is hell bent on rushing through the so called Vistra Project in the capital city. Our country is in severe need of health facilities. Lakhs of our brethren have died due to lack of hospital beds, lack of oxygen, lack of ambulance facilities, lack of medicines, and we can go on forever. Therefore, why not use the funds and resources we have to build up our health facilities.
Goa is having the highest income per capita. If we are facing such hardships what about the huge states like UP and Bihar, etc. The doctor-population ratio in India is 1:1456 against the WHO recommendation of 1:1000. According to the National Health Profile 2018, the situation is even worse in States like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, which has faced several health endemics in recent times. The situation is worst in Bihar, where one doctor caters to a population of 28,391 people. Uttar Pradesh ranks second with 19,962 people per doctor, followed by Jharkhand with 18,518 people per doctor. Madhya Pradesh has a doctor for 16,996 people, Chhattisgarh has 15,916 people per doctor ratio while Karnataka has a ratio of 1:13,556.
Please, let’s use our money for the good of the people and not grandiose projects for vanity. Healthy people is a healthy nation. We don’t need tall statues, grand stadiums, etc, in our country. We require better education and health facilities. We need more doctors, nurses.
Mark D’Cruz, Mapusa
Priest, a victim of hate ideology?
This has reference to the article ‘Is an 84-year old to be treated as a terrorist’ (Herald, June 8, 2021). At last, somebody has asked the right question. Kudos to journalist Rajdeep Sardesai for speaking up for the 84-year Fr Stan Swamy languishing in prison. It is seemingly apparent that Fr Stan had no connection with the Bhima-Koregaon case. Rather, as the report suggests, Fr Stan has become a victim of the hate ideology of certain sections of society and must be taught a lesson for allegedly inducing conversions.
Nothing can be further than the truth. Yes, we live in a world where truth is a casualty. It’s time all right thinking literate, intelligent, educated citizens who have passed out of Christians’ educational institutions speak up for justice. If not now then when? That is the question I would like to pose before all. Darkness seems to have engulfed light and hate overpowered Love. The poem by Fr Stan was appropriate.
Melville X D’Souza, Mumbai
Stop making fun of Covid-19
There are many people in our country who still think that Coronavirus is not dangerous and hence do not follow SOPs. They make fun of people who follow precautionary measures. There are also many people who upload funny videos on social media which suggest that the virus is not lethal at all.
People should refrain from sharing and uploading such videos. It’s time we took the virus seriously. The government should take all possible steps to control the spread of the virus so that it does not spread further.
Jubel D’Cruz, Mumbai
We have to be alert about Corona waves
Ignorance of the people towards Corona , would attract not only third wave but many waves to come in future. Government is struggling in its own ways. However, most of the people are taking Corona granted and therefore virus is likely to spread again and again in form of so called “waves”. There is nothing like waves of corona to come but one corona person can spark the virus again. Hence, testing of each person in Goa and India has become unavoidable.
And this corona testing Mission must go on till, 100% vaccination is done in India. Most of the illiterate people don’t bothered about their health, and sore in the name of government. They learn lesson after bad consequences and experience and condole for life time. So corona waves will be created by human beings who are ignoring corona at present situations. For some poor people, corona is Boon for them because they are fed up with poverty and they are really reluctant about future. Therefore, they are seen least bothered about surrounding situations. They think death is better than worst poverty. But, they managing to survive and work anyhow, which could generate Corona waves.
There is proverb in Konkani,”Hanvui morom ani tukai vhoronk (Let you die along with me). So we have to be alert every time as ghost of Corona is likely to exist till we not following our health responsibilities.
Rajesh Banaulikar, Arpora
