Collapse of illegal building in Mumbai
On June 10, an illegal constructed 3-storey building in Mumbai’s Malwani area in Malad collapsed in which 12 lost their precious lives, including 8 innocent children. Ironically the builder who constructed the building lost his wife, brother, sister-in-law and their 6 kids. Seven people were also injured.
During the cyclone Tauktae the building had developed a fissure yet people were not vacated to a safe place, neither by the authorities nor by the builder. Because of the collapse a nearby 3-storey building is also in a precarious position. The builder has been booked by the police for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. This is travesty of justice. He should have been booked for cold-blooded murder. What and where were the authorities and neighbouring building people doing when the illegal building was being constructed?
The blame game has already started with the BMC and Collector’s office accusing each other for not having demolished the illegal building. This is a joke as the building was on the Collector’s plot while the BMC gave the permission.
Not to worry, everybody has collected their share and is now hiding in the woodworks like termites. And as usual no one would be punished and the matter would be buried till the next building collapse. The rot runs deep, not only in Mumbai but in most Indian States.
Sridhar D’Iyer, Caranzalem
Govt support for cashew feni industry
For the second successive year the cashew feni industry finds itself in the doldrums, first due to the harsh lockdown imposed in 2020 and then due to adverse weather conditions this year. Bhatikars, the traditional distillers of kaju feni were forced to cease production a month before the usual May season ending owing to a 40% decline in cashew yield.
It was also difficult to function after Goa recorded an exponential rise in Covid numbers. Though the present cashew season had begun on a bright note in February-March, distillers had a torrid time procuring cashew apples owing to unseasonal showers in April which upset the fruiting patterns; the low yield subsequently led to increase in production costs and workers testing positive for the virus worsened the situation; May was literally a washout with Cyclone Tauktae flattening or inundating cashew orchards. Small and marginal farmers were the worst affected by this turn of events.
It is pertinent to note that Goan cashew feni is the only platinum standard GI (Geographical Indication) tagged product and is renowned worldwide for its unique taste, the government should extend financial aid to farmers with small landholdings so that they can at least tide over the current year, also research needs to be undertaken to develop more weather/pest resistant cashew varieties. A one-time grant would go a long way in alleviating the plight of the farmers.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Too early to open up lockdown
One personally thinks the whole of India is opening up after the lockdown SOPs a little too soon after the COVID 2nd wave. We should have at least waited until the end of this month, June 2021, before opening up. It may not be untoward to say that we may be inviting the COVID 3rd wave to spread if we move away from the present lockdown procedures in force. One hates to be a prophet of doom but when lakhs of lives are involved, it is better to be safe than to be brave.
We are, in fact, re-enacting the COVID 2nd wave onset scenario when we said in Jan 2021 that the virus is under control but by April end we were thick in the tsunami of rising cases. One just hopes that we do not see that scenario repeating.
Srinivas Kamat, Alto St Cruz
Objecting nurses to functions, deplorable
This has reference to the report ‘You have invited these people…. Inviting nurses to effects…..’ (Herald, June 11). This was surely a disturbing front page news report to read in the morning. What is happening? What is happening to our sanity? Is humanity dead? These are questions that crop up after reading this news report. A teacher’s message, objecting to nurses being invited to a certain event, is deplorable. Is this some way to show gratitude to our frontline warriors in this pandemic?
Yes, they are dealing with Covid patients during their work time but surely they do that with sufficient Covid protection. Then why this fear? In fact, we all need to adhere at least to the basic Covid norms, that will ensure that the pandemic would be on a leash to a certain extent. Let’s stop defaming our frontline workers. The president of The Trained Nurses Association rightly states, if people start defaming us how should we work? Yes, they too have their families at home. We need to take a more realistic view of the situation.
Melville X D’Souza, Mumbai
No change of guard in Karnataka
The BJP’s national general secretary Arun Singh has squashed rumours of a possible change of guard in Karnataka, saying the BJP’s top brass has no such plans. Singh, who is in charge of party affairs in Karnataka, praised Yediyurappa for doing his best to rein in the spread of the Covid-19 contagion.
Singh also promised fence-mending among the warring groups while cautioning party leaders from going public on party affairs. The BJP leader also found nothing wrong in Yediyurappa’s recent statement that he will continue to hold the reins as long as the party high command kept faith in him.
A few BJP leaders had rebelled against BSY and even visited Delhi lobbying for a change but had to return empty-handed after the top brass refused to entertain them. The developments must cheer BSY and his followers.
N J Ravi Chander, Bengaluru
