Fair admissions to Std XI
After the results of Std X examinations there is such a rush for Std XI admission. This year the CBSC results were declared earlier than the Goa board SSC examination. Some of the city higher secondary schools affiliated to Goa Board started with CBSE student’s admissions first for Std XI without waiting for the results of Goa Board.
Higher secondary school admission should be started only after Goa board results are out. Why the Goa Board students be deprived of admissions at the costs of CBSE or ICSE students. CBSE higher secondary will never give SSC students admission in their higher secondary school. Some students from CBSE with lower percentage than the SSC students took admissions in higher secondary school affiliated to Goa Board as a results many SSC students of Goa Board who had much higher percentage had to run pillar to post for admission. This is not fair.
Higher Secondary school affiliated to Goa Board can accommodate CBSE or ICSE by forming extra classes and not at the cost of SSC students of Goa Board.
Maria Fernandes, Margao
Retaining wall at Cortalim junction
It must be said that the hillock at the Cortalim junction, which has been cut to pave the way for the widening of the approach road to the new Zuari Bridge, poses danger to the road users and commuters travelling along this road. There have been several incidences of rocks and mud slipping down from the hillock. Some of them have missed hitting the vehicles. This happens to be a very busy junction with hundreds of vehicles passing through every single day.
Heavy rains have caused the mud to become loose resulting in the rolling down of rocks and stones along with the mud onto the road. There is every possibility of a huge boulder rolling down the hillock due to the porous condition and hitting a moving vehicle. The frequent rolling down of stones and mud must be considered as a warning sign of a possible landslide occurring at the junction thereby posing risk to the travelling public. It seems absolutely necessary to build a retaining wall along the hillock on a war footing in order to prevent any eventuality.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Prevent ammonium nitrate misuse
The massive explosion in a ware house in port of Beirut, Lebanon which was a blast due to storage of ammonium nitrate has sent shock waves across the world. At least 157 people were killed and several thousand injured in the explosion. It is well known that ammonium nitrate is used as an explosive. A total of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate went up in a huge blast in Beirut. Reports have also emerged that 740 tonnes of ammonium nitrate has been stored in containers in Chennai port meant to be delivered to a cracker manufacturing factory in Sivakasi.
In Goa, it is possible that a fertilizer factory at Zuarinagar manufactured fertilizer grade ammonium nitrate. In view of its several uses such as in mining, quarrying, and construction work, due to its dual uses, it would be prudent for the government in Goa to carry out investigation to find out if large quantities of explosive grade ammonium nitrate which could be used as explosive should be removed on an urgent basis in order to prevent misuse of the same as also an accident. This has to be done as a precautionary measure in order to prevent unforeseen eventualities.
Elvidio Miranda, Panjim
Control deaths
The Government of Goa has mismanaged the situation although they got enough support from the Centre in terms of funds. The politicians should put aside politics and fight the crisis on a war footing. As the cases are rising in Goa approximately 150 to 200 patients daily with this ratio it is important that the patients get beds, in government hospitals and private hospitals should be allowed to admit patients which will lower the load on government hospitals which are almost overcrowded . The CM took a wrong decision of not enforcing a lock down in Vasco which would have reduced the situation as we are in now to a great extent as the patients from Vasco went to other parts of Goa thus spreading the virus.
I personally feel awareness among people in Goa is less compared to other states like Kerala. Or, people are mostly nonchalant. All this is adding to the worry. People should wear masks and take precautions when they move out. Covid-19 pandemic has reached a stage where it started affecting so many of us. But it is important at this juncture to control the number of deaths. It is a positive sign that the recovery percentage has gone up in Goa and also in the country.
Diomedes Pereira, Corlim
Ignoring air-safety recommendations
It refers to unfortunate crash-landing of Air India Express aircraft Boeing-737 at Kozhikode (Kerala) in evening of August 7, because of skidding of the unlucky aircraft in heavy rains from the table-top runway. Accident was a repeat of similar accident on May 22, 2010 at Mangalore airport of Karnataka under the same circumstances with exception that fortunately there was no fire in crash-landing on August 7 unlike to the one at Mangalore airport a decade back taking many lives.
Big question is why aircrafts are allowed to land in such heavy rain especially on table-top runways that too in bad light conditions. Air Control Tower must not allow landing in such circumstances even if pilot may be confident of safe landing.
It is even more regretting that recommendations of committees about table-top runways are not met fully. Despite table-top runways being risky, even newly constructed Kannur airport has table-top runways. Directorate General of Civil Aviation should issue urgent guidelines on use of table-top runways in the country, and should not allow any further construction of table-top runway except for requirement of Air Force planes.
Subhash Chandra Agrawal, Delhi
Strenuous task for Congress
Is it time for Congress to gear up for the next election in the aftermath of Ravi Naik’s sons deserting the Congress? When Erasmo Sequeira jumped from UG to BLD, his father Dr Jack de Sequeira said: “Gelo to boro gelo, mojem besaum gheun gelo”. With his leaving, UG was strengthened. Both the Naik brothers leaving Congress nothing will affect the party adversely since it looks “bad riddance is a good riddance”. Their presence did not create extra ordinary dividends, in fact because of them the standing of Congress did not go up.
I am surprised that they left Congress so late, in fact it should have been earlier because of their party deserting tradition and I will not be surprised to see their father too following them shortly because “once the lion tastes the blood then he will never stop”.
For Congress it will be a strenuous task to wrest power from the BJP but if the Congress moves systematically by discarding the oldies and the defeated candidates who are all a liability,
I am sure Congress will create an impact of its presence in Goa.
Secondly, Congress must close its doors for all the deserters whose places should be filled with youthful and faithful candidates and the hands of their president should be kept free to take bold decisions.
The mood of the Congress supporters is very vibrant and they are all expecting drastic actions from the Party’s Low Command and not from the High Command which should be told politely to keep a distance from Goa that is having a very capable, sincere president whose proletariat background and simplicity are the big booster to woo the voters to Congress.
A.Veronica Fernandes, Candolim
Two heads better than one!
Finally, the Govt. has decided to have a team of doctors to head the Covid battle. Why the delay? Someone thought they could be a hero? Well they flopped at the cost of many lives. They were too full of themselves to even take note of the numerous letters cautioning them on all their errors. This has come about because the present Govt. is in the suicidal habit of just ’speaking’ away problems!
Now that we have a team instead of a single head, we need to be ahead of the game. This is after remedying the numerous lacunae in the present set up.
The dangerous news we now have comes from Wuhan. Almost out of the Pandemic, China is not sleeping like us but gathering knowledge on various fronts. They have tested a sample of people – perhaps 100 – who recovered from the virus in April. They found that 90% of them have their lungs still in a damaged state. Some have to rely on oxygen cylinders even 3 months after their cure. 10% had their antibodies against the virus disappeared! These are very worrying signals.
The team of doctors must work out treatment regimens to counter this right now. If they have no answer within the team they need to look out of the box. AIIMS, WHO, those in Goa who were in the frontline, whatever. Till such time they cannot afford to be lax. They have to innovate: perhaps ensure all patients receive oxygen even if levels are normal? This is purely a medical decision. Peoples lives are in their hands.
The team does not seem to have anyone who worked on the frontline? Unusual, but perhaps not for Goa. This is our downfall.
R Fernandes, Margao
