Utility tunnel can
end all miseries
Panjimites fear that the choked sewerage networks will lead to overflow of raw sewage onto the roads. There is also a high possibility of sewage from old damaged sewer lines entering the water pipeline leading to an epidemic.
It is common knowledge that roads across the state are dug for various works which include, laying of the underground sewerage pipeline, gas pipeline, water pipelines, electricity cables, fibre optics etc. Even newly laid roads are dug up in order to carry out various works. This causes extreme inconvenience to the citizens. There is no sign of the Smart City work in Panaji being completed before the onset of monsoon which has led to apprehension that this could lead to massive flooding in the city. Road digging by various departments can also cause damage to other cables and pipelines.
All these miseries to the citizens of the state could have been resolved if Goa had a utility tunnel.
A utility tunnel is a passage built underground to carry utility lines such as electricity, water supply pipes, sewer lines, including communications utilities like fibre optics, cable television, and telephone cables. Workers can enter the tunnel and carry out the necessary repair work thereby eliminating the need to dig roads. It is pertinent to note that there is a 2 km long utility tunnel under Delhi’s Connaught Place which provides for services such as electric and communication cables, water supply and irrigation lines.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Railway double tracking drama refuses to die
The ongoing saga of this cursed double tracking through our pristine villages just refuses to die down with the railways with their outsourced unit RVNL playing games of oneupmanship to browbeat the peaceful agitators, activists and landowners/house owners living in the vicinity who are losing large chunks of land to meet to the demands of the railways. Activists are lathi-charged and some are even arrested. The Cansaulim/Velsao stretch is the worst affected.
Similar is the situation in Majorda on the western side where already two tracks already exist, they have reclaimed large chunk of lush green paddy fields to build a third track blocking the natural flow of water of the numerous streams which empty themselves in the lake on the eastern side of the tracks onward to river Sal.
There is a road under bridge nearby which is bound to get flooded like the Margao underpass.
This is all a result of haphazard planning giving little or no thought to the environment and ecological disasters. By the way if the Railways use the present alignment for the third track there will be atleast six to seven houses which will be razed to the ground in Majorda/Utorda alone.
Hopefully better sense will prevail on the Railways and they have second thoughts on this double tracking drama.
Lucas De Souza, Verna
Inferior qualities
of foodgrains
Recent O Heraldo finding maggot-filled foodgrains in fair price shops which was distributed to the ration cardholders is shocking. The ration cardholders in some talukas were in for a rude shock after they found that the rice distributed to them by the fair price shops was infested with maggots, mites and fungus. This shows that the quality of foodgrains at the fair price shops was far from satisfactory and not fit for human consumption.
Despite the food security scheme ensuring access to quality food, they were getting ‘substandard’ foodgrains. The government should streamline the distribution system by keeping random checks at places.
Accidentally eating maggots, mites and fungus infected grains is generally not a cause for concern, but it can sometimes lead to health complications, such as bacterial poisoning. People who eat this contaminated food or the larvae will also get exposure to the bacteria and may become unwell. There are flagging many anomalies, including black-marketing of supplies meant for the poor, bad storage facilities, adulteration, inferior quality of food grains, bogus ration cards, corruption and lack of administrative oversight at all levels. Often, the food grains are not even fit for human consumption. India’s PDS, which is the largest in the world, has emerged as one of the most important poverty-alleviation programmes and it is thus imperative that the state government plugs all loopholes to ensure that the poorest of the poor not only have easy access to basic essentials, but are also assured that there is no compromise either on quantity or quality.
K G Vilop, Chorao
Limits on bank
withdrawal
Banks have a limit on withdrawal of amount from its ATM, from other bank ATMs, from its branch offices and from home branch. There is also a limit to daily on-line transactions. For example, a customer of the State Bank of India can withdraw more than Rs 50,000 from the home branch, up to Rs 50,000 from its branches.
For debit cards, the limits are Rs 20,000 from SBI ATMs and Rs 10,000 from other bank ATMS. The on-line transaction in a day is limited to Rs 40,000. Other banks too may have similar rules on withdrawals. Perhaps these limitations are in place to protect the customers from fraud and to reduce cash circulation in the country. But it is frustrating since if we urgently need money and are away from home branch then due to the above restrictions money cannot be withdrawn even if there is sufficient balance in the account. It becomes a case of ‘so near yet so far.’
Not everybody will have credit cards or high credit limits and the party to be paid may not accept cheques and drafts. The Reserve Bank of India and Finance Ministry need to find a solution to this conundrum.
Sridhar D’Iyer, Caranzalem
Tough fight in Karnataka
Assembly elections for 224 seats was held in Karnataka on May 10.
The Karnataka elections are special as there is tough fight between BJP and Congress with JDS on third front. The exit polls have predicted that none will get majority and magic number is 113 to form government in the state. Most of the exit polls predicted Congress to get 100 plus seats and BJP to get around 90 seats.
JDS who was sidelined by government last time will play important role to form the government. BJP on other hand says will get largest numbers and will form Government of its own. Now only the machines will give true picture as to whom the voters casted their votes.
It’s going to be tougher for BJP to get the magic number though they have predicted 120 seats. The role of other parties and JDS will be important as they would like to be part of government and will ask for major portfolio in case it’s a coalition government. JDS was betrayed in the last elections by the Congress and will not accept the same to happen. The BJP tried to split the members of other party to form government and same mistake cannot be attempted as they will be responsible for the political situation and undemocratic way to form the same like last elections.
Raju Ramamurthy, Vasco
