Noble peace prize for Fr Stan Swamy
Fr Stan Swamy SJ deserves the prestigious Noble Peace Prize posthumously for his untiring effort he has put in his work among the Dalits, Adivasis and the under privileged people he worked with in India.
He has been a real crusader for the Dalits, Adivasis and the under privileged working untirelessly for their rights. His work shall be recognized throughout the world. Fr Stan Swamy, your work will not go in vain. RIP Fr Stan Swamy.
Armando Max Fernandes,
St Inez
An end to stark tale of injustice
The death of 84-year-old Father Stan Swamy in judicial custody brings to an end a stark tale of injustice and one that has left the highest institutions of India’s justice system diminished. The Jesuit priest known for his advocacy of tribal rights in Jharkhand was arrested in October last year by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and charged with conspiracy in the Bhima Koregaon case.
In the nearly nine months of his incarceration, till his death, the ailing activist came up again and again against the heavy hand of the State, an unresponsive judiciary and a broken prison system.
Think, for example, of the response when Fr Stan Swamy’s lawyers asked for a sipper and a straw for him, as Parkinson’s disease had made it impossible for him to drink water from a glass. The court adjourned the case for three weeks.
Think, again, of the NIA’s opposition to the four bail pleas that Fr Stan Swamy filed. Yet, in all these months, the NIA did not even seek a day’s custody to interrogate Fr Stan Swamy. Then why was he kept unnecessarily languishing in jail all this while?
Fr Stan Swamy (as per recorded statements given by him to the media just before his arrest) was not even remotely associated with Bhima Koregaon violence case.
He would be an eternal guiding light in the relentless struggle against fascism.
Jerry Fernandes, Saligao
AAP leadership in Goa
The Aam Admi Party in Goa seems to be in the news recently for all the wrong reasons. By distributing rations, promising goodies and by picking up petty quarrels with well established Goan politicians and social workers the AAP members are not doing any good for the Goan aam aadmi.
The recent removal/resignations of top cadres of AAP along with party workers in Goa and the subsequent induction of other party discards in the party has not done any good for the party as well. The constant arrival of AAP leaders from Delhi in Goa ‘at the drop of a hat’ to guide the local AAP members shows the lack of leadership in Goa. The current ‘cleansing of Goan politics’ drive seems to be having disastrous effects too. One must understand that Goans have their heads firmly on their shoulders and any interference in their affairs by outsiders is not well accepted. The party defections or anti defections have become a part and parcel of Goan political system and even the courts have been able to do pretty little about it.
With elections round the corner, if the AAP is to gain solid ground in Goa, it should stop all petty bickerings, put up a brave face, be a step ahead of others and boldly declare their chief ministerial candidate and other candidates before it is too late.
Boaventura Vaz, Cavelossim
Use uniform chemical in WTPs
The Goa Government’s Public Works Department (PWD) runs various Water Treatment Plants in the State. Strangely for the treatment of raw water the chemical used is not uniform at all the plants.
While at some plants they use Alumina Ferric (Alum) which costs around Rs 22,000 a tonne, the PWD engineers at some plants are high-handedly using Poly Aluminum Chloride (PAC) which costs around Rs 45,000 a tonne. Besides the cost being more than double, the Poly Aluminum Chloride being powder is a potential health hazard to the labourers handling it while the Alumina Ferric being in the form of a block is safer to handle.
Corruption could be the only reason why some engineers are dubiously using a chemical double the cost. This is a glaring case of it being a Public Waste Department.
Every government officer being the custodian of the State exchequer has to ensure that every paisa spent from the State coffers is judiciously done with utmost sincerity and absolute accountability. If some Engineers are with vested interest causing a needless burden on the tax payer it warrants stern action against such erring officers.
Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar
Avoidable rail accidents
In a tragic accident a 35-year-old lady was reportedly hit by Vasco-Kulem train at Seraulim on Friday. The victim was shifted to Hospicio Hospital after the accident but was declared ‘brought dead’. There have been several accidents wherein persons walking on the railway track or by the side of the track have either been knocked down or run over by a moving train.
It may be recalled that in the month of April this year, a young naval officer and a 27-year-old woman reportedly died after they were knocked over by a train on the railway bridge close to Old Goa. The officer along with three friends decided to walk across the bridge around midnight when the Matysagandha Express proceeding to Margao passed over the bridge. Two of them died in the incident. Recently two men who were drunk and walking on the railway track were run over by a moving train. It must be said that such rail accidents are avoidable.
People should not move close to the railway tracks or walk over a railway bridge where there can be no escape. It does not seem feasible to place barriers on the railway bridge in order to prevent people from walking on it. Keeping the safety aspect in mind, people should avoid walking along the railway tracks or close to it as also avoid walking on a railway bridge as it can prove extremely dangerous.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Speak up for Human Rights!
Many individuals have spoken up albeit after the death of Fr Stan. Many like him are still behind bars and harassed to no end, amazingly, by the very authorities who must uphold human rights. What effect has all this support during the funeral of Fr Stan, in editorials, letters, caused? The govt will just wait till all this pent-up grief dies down, as it will, and those others waiting for justice, will still languish in prisons.
We need to speak out at the right forums. At the Lok Sabha our lone South Goa non-BJP MP must speak out very strongly not only about the injustice and ‘murder’ of Fr Stan, by the very Judiciary system that is supposed to uphold human rights, but for the others languishing in prisons for fighting for human rights. He did not speak when Fr Stan was tortured in prison: the latter’s death has now provided the former with enough ammo to nail the ruling party at the Centre.
The current ‘cake war’ once again makes the defectors state they wanted to develop their constituency, and hence defected. What about Human Rights violations at such a level and by Departments meant to protect the same? Why the silence?
The ruling BJP MLAs must know that human rights come first and that their silence means they are party to the crimes. We need to ask them tough questions and not ‘assume’ they are justified in keeping silent.
R Fernandes, Margao
