Regional outfit needed for Goans’ interest
Does a proud self respected Niz Goenkar need the freebies that the politicians are promising? This shows the mentality of the political class wherein a carrot dangling exercise is being undertaken by most of the insecure political parties who think the otherwise susegad Goan will fall for.
For a true dignified Goan this coming election is not to collect the free goods and services offered by these parties but to vote for the betterment of every Goan child born or yet to conceive to the present generations. Politicians promise the sky that is their forte we as voters have to unite to safe our beautiful Goa for posterity. Our land, our rivers our mountains are being destroyed in the name of development. Land bank kept by our ancestors in form of comunidade has been looted for vote politics. Our women are not safe. Nature destroyed, education system needs total revamp and job oriented. Local Goan businesses, small time farmers, artisans need support and guidance. We have tried and tested the National Parties having their head offices in Delhi but to our dismay the views of the local Goans have fallen on deaf ears. The myth of voting a same political party ruling the centre is also busted since more damage to our motherland has been done during this type of combinations of same party govts ruling centre and State as the State govts become meek to confront the centre on important issues.
Time we Goenkars put in our faith in a Regional Party that will have a Goan heart and mind when taking important decisions pertaining to our little State and people. Big States have regional parties that work for the local people and are weighed well at the centre when it comes to important decision for its people. This election is all about saving whatever little is left of our beautiful State and to pass the same to the future generation which the true Goans can do by voting the right person and party. It’s a state election having local issues.
Time for a revolution, we Goans leaving aside our affiliation to old parties choose a new leader from amongst us someone well educated and has the charisma and vision for Goa. It’s now or never for our little Goa and its lovely people.
Clarence Alvares, Sangolda
Banners on electric poles
Of late it is observed that several posters, banners, hoardings and flags of political parties are placed on electric poles all across the State. This not only presents an ugly sight but could also obstruct the view of the vehicular drivers. These posters and party flags at times come off due to the wind and fall on the roads posing risk to two-wheeler riders. As election date approaches, more electric poles will be “decorated” with such advertisement material of political parties.
Electric poles are meant for carrying electric wires and not for placing advertisements. It is learnt that the Electricity Department has issued directions to remove all unauthorised hoardings, posters and other banners placed on electric poles across the State with immediate effect. This is a step in the right direction. Zero tolerance should be shown in this regard. No permission should be given by the department for placing banners of political parties on electric poles and other assets of the electricity department including electric transformers.
Action needs to be taken against those who place banners and hoardings on electric poles without any authorisation. Banners, posters, flags, hoardings of political parties on trees along the roads by fixing them with long metal nails should also be disallowed as it can have a harmful effect on the trees.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
The incident at Lakhimpur-Kheri
The Lakhimpur-Kheri incident is a shame on the fair face of India. Where people deliberately mow down protestors, in this case farmers, with their vehicles indicates that they are drunk and obsessed with the power and authority that they believe they possess. This when four farmers came under the wheels of a vehicle purportedly driven by the son of a Central Minister is a clear case of deliberate first degree murder.
Uttar Pradesh has had the reputation of being a State where law and order has completely failed and violent anarchy rules the roost. This is a clear example of that. The sad part of the whole affair is that all the top names seem to prefer to hide under the tables. Even now after more than a week has passed there is no formal statement from either CM Yogi or PM Modi. This when Modi visited the State at this time and was in nearby Lucknow where he found fit to comment on a road accident in Barabanki where albeit more people lost their lives than in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident. In the fitness of things if Modi in the same breath had spoken about the farmer incident then a certain amount of equity would have been served.
This followed the same pattern that the UP government had followed almost a year ago in the Hathras incident. Going into denial of fact does not help in these modern times when media is active and information does come out whether you like it or not. At the time of writing this the son of the Central Minister who committed the incident is in custody and one hopes and believes that justice will prevail.
Srinivas Kamat, Alto St Cruz
Arrest of killer minister’s son
The arrest of killer ministers son Ashish Mishra in the Lakhimpur-Kheri murder of the four farmers is not because of the intervention of the home minister who said in a recent interview that the PM listens to suggestions from all sections of the society.
There are hundreds of examples of murders, rapes and lynchings carried out by the goons affiliated to the ruling party where the PM has not uttered a single word of condolence just as he has remained silent in this case too. We must thank the Supreme Court for its intervention and the pressure put by the opposition leaders especially by Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi who had to face arrest to fight for justice.
This is a good example for the people of Goa and India to decide which political party is truly interested in the welfare of the people and the farmers.
Matias Lobo, Tivim
Tata airlines and God’s own country
As Tata Sons regain control of Air India after 68 years the aviation history of India comes to one big circle, returning to where it started. As the new era looks forward to yet another aeon of the Air India, founded by JRD Tata in 1932 as Tata Airlines the aviation annals of our land has remarkable real time stories to tell.
From God’s own country, Kerala, old timers reminisce the first private flight – the Tata airlines- making its flight from Mumbai (then Bombay) to Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum). On its trip en route, the small DH83 Foxmoth aircraft had landing in Goa and Cannanore (now Kannur).
Tata Airlines, India’s first private airline that touched down in Kannur en route on its way to Thiruvananthapuram was a weekly service introduced at the request of the then king of Travancore, Chithira Thirunal Bala Rama Varma. According to some historical sources and records the price of a ticket from Bombay to Kannur was Rs 135 then and Rs 150 for Bombay to Trivandrum. A one-way ticket from Kannur to Thiruvananthapuram was Rs 60 those days.
As modern day flights land at the Kannur international airport old timers proudly reminisce the historic flights they witnessed some eight decades ago and they take pride in passing on this information to generation next about how Kannur was part of Indian aviation history and along with it its beautiful connection with the Tatas.
M Pradyu, Kannur
