Give separate counter for the disabled at GMC
I would like to bring to the attention of CM Pramod Sawant, Health Minister M V Rane, Dean of GMC and Commissioner for persons with disability, that I visited GMC’s OPD 4 Surgery dept on Wednesday. When I tried to ask the counter staff on OPD 4 if there is special line for persons with disability, to my surprise he said “no it’s general”. I was given No 24 token and had to stay in line on my wheelchair with pain in my back without sipping water. After waiting for long I was cleared around 12 noon by a good doctor who gave me patient hearing and prescribed me medication.
My letter is not a complain but requesting our dynamic Health Minister Rane who is person with a vision for health sector to look into my appeal and direct the Dean and all OPDs in GMC to immediately give people with disabilities justice by blessing us with a separate line and a number when visiting OPD.
Jerry Luis D’Souza, Divar
Heavy rains, floods and the blame game
Incessant rain has once again exposed how vulnerable our metro cities are in dealing with heavy pouring and flash floods. It’s raining cats and dogs in the coastal and interior regions of the South. Kerala and Karnataka and parts of Tamil Nadu have been getting heavy down pour in the past few days and recently a few hours heavy down pour in Kochi, the commercial capital of Kerala and Bangalore the IT capital, put life at a standstill with most of the areas severely inundated and putting the traffic system of both cities fully out of gear. Heavy downpour in the Silicon Valley of India in fact stopped the life for many hours before getting back to normalcy.
A big verbal conflict has also begun with blame game going high amongst the corporation, the civil bodies, political biggies and others, each one trying to slip off free to show they are not responsible for the plight.
Whether it is Kochi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru or Kolkata the scenario is the same. Who is to be blamed? Is it the rain gods? Heavy rain has lashed in the past too. But then why such a pathetic scene being witnessed only now? Reasons are many lack of foresightedness and faulty plans of the local bodies is the main.
As there is no other way in which the water can be drained it remains for days tearing the surface of the road and creating potholes and craters. These again pose a big threat to two wheelers and autos which often accidently skid into these pits.
Added to this the lackadaisical attitude of the local body authority make things worse.
M Pradyu, Kannur
To be literate is a basic human right
This is with reference to the Edit ‘Lighting the Literacy Lamp’ (Herald September 8, 2022). That was an interesting editorial, highlighting the importance of literacy on the occasion of International Literacy Day celebrated on September 8.
You have rightly stated that being literate is a basic human right. Many have suffered in silence because they have been illiterate, especially the girl child.
In our country, girls have been looked upon as a burden and they were not allowed to attend school. The parents think of them as a burden to be bundled off in marriage as early as possible.
Incidentally, September 8 happens to be the Nativity of our Blessed Mother Mary and it is celebrated as the Girl Child Day; on this day, we need to ensure that literacy reaches each and every human being on earth. And special attention needs to be given to the girl child, women, who are being abused, molested, harassed and raped.
Let literacy not be just a slogan. As the title of your editorial suggests, Light the Literacy Lamp!
Melville X D’Souza, Mumbai
Shooting their mouths off
It appears to be a habit for our CM and the police force that he heads, to impulsively shoot their mouths off, before later taking U-turns. Two recent examples are the deaths of the Haryana BJP leader, and the body found at Baga-Arpora bridge. In the first case, our very own doctor CM immediately concluded that she died of a massive heart attack, while the post mortem report indicated blunt marks on her body, and death possibly due obnoxious substance ingestion. While in the latter case, the police immediately declared it as a case of self accident, only to subsequently made arrests of murder suspects.
It is also amazing to note that the CM and police department take great pride in the immediate crime detection rate, instead of concentrating on curbing or preventing the crimes.
Further, to distract from the rising crime graph of the present, our beloved CM seeks to dwell into the past, by wanting to probe about destroyed religious structures that may have happened decades back.
He further claims that the Portuguese looted Goa decades back, seemingly oblivious of the current plight of the local Goan, who is being regularly looted of their property, safety, or hard earned money to get any work done in government departments. This sorry state of affairs convinces us to conclude that there is reason to fear (bhivpachi garaz asa).
A Barreto, Verem
Govt crackdown on drugs
The drugs problem in Goa is rampant for a long time under this current ruling Government. Now it is at the top agenda of the Goa Government only because it has become a national embarrassment to Goa and people from the same party (from other States) are affected.
Is the Govt trying to make false promises on addressing the drug menace? It is really easy for the drugs mafia to be so active in such a small state of Goa without involvement of local MLA, politicians, panch members, Govt officials, Police. How are drugs entering the State in the first place? Should the Goa Govt not press the Centre to use its agencies on genuine issues like this one?
Goa Police are unproductively used for (A) more that necessary security cover for VIPs, politicians, meetings, (B) suppress opposition to govt ill conceived projects and (C) offer safe haven/passage to politicians involved in toppling govts in other States; example of Maharashtra recently, where are the priorities of this Govt to actually provide good service to the Goan taxpayer?
Arwin Mesquita, Colva
Need to build road dividers scientifically
In an accident that took place at Rajbhag in Canacona taluka a car turned turtle after hitting the road divider and toppling over another car on the national highway claiming the lives of three persons. Many accidents have taken place after the vehicles being driven at high speed have hit the road divider.
In the fatal accident which claimed the life of the former chairman of Tata Sons, Cyrus Mistry and another occupant, the car had reportedly also hit a road divider. A road divider is generically used for dividing the road for ongoing and incoming traffic. This helps keep the flow of traffic.
Generally, there are equal number of lanes for both ongoing and incoming traffic. However, if not properly and scientifically built, road dividers can be the cause of accidents. Road engineering plays a vital role while putting up road dividers. They need to be painted in fluorescent paint where there is less lighting.
Road dividers are either made of concrete, metals or plastic. At sharp turns poorly visible dividers can cause the driver of speeding vehicles to lose control and hit the divider. Road dividers also prevent pedestrians from crossing the road at any point as per their convenience thereby leading to accidents. Hence all road dividers which are broken and have a gap need to be repaired.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
