Need to train youth to swim
This is in regards to the persistent incidents of drowning in the state of Goa. We have been hearing about incidents of drowning almost every month in our state. Many of them involve tourists and local youth. Elders usually do not venture into the waters as they are afraid of the deep. To make this safer, it should be made compulsory for schools to provide water safety and swimming classes to students.
Most of us in Goa love to take a dip in the sea or open water bodies. Parents who are aware of the dangers want their children to learn basic water survival skills and enroll them in summer swim classes. These classes usually last for only two to three weeks, and then they are forgotten. It usually takes a child or adult two to three months to become comfortable in the water and swim continuously for 10-30 minutes. Parents should encourage their children during this period until the child gains confidence.
Schools should offer basic swimming classes for children from Classes II to VII and provide additional marks for this. In other countries such as America, the UK, the Netherlands, France, swimming sessions have been made compulsory for kids.
It is necessary to learn swimming as it is a low-impact exercise that is also very beneficial for the body and can prevent drowning to a large extent.
Hansel Moniz, Quepem
Harvesting of edible mushrooms
It’s the monsoon season, a time when the seasonal delicacy –mushrooms are much sought after by Goans. Edible mushrooms are very popular in Goa but few are aware about their ecological and biological aspects. In 1992, Goa’s forest department banned mushroom harvesting, and in 1993 the ban was amended to apply only to mushrooms in wildlife sanctuaries and government forests. Experts believe that the general lack of knowledge among consumers about this species of edible mushrooms can affect the ecosystem. Due to the two-month fishing ban, river fish finds a pride of place in daily meals. Meanwhile, for vegetarians, it’s the season for ‘Olmi’ or edible wild mushrooms, widely sold all along the highways from July till September. The popularity of edible wild mushrooms is turning into an ecological threat for the forests of Goa. Wild mushrooms play an important role as decomposing agents and their depleting numbers can have severe repercussions on the health of the forests. The Termitomyces species in Goa, which grows on termite hills, are eaten most widely. They are harvested from the forested areas mainly in talukas of Valpoi, Sattari and Canacona in the Western Ghats. These mushrooms grow only on termite hills and are, therefore, impossible to cultivate artificially. The government needs to exercise control on the harvesting of these mushrooms so that they are not exploited. What is needed is the creation of awareness in the local communities about sustainable practices.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Retrospective approval of works, a scam
According to reports, the Goa state government had spent over Rs 154 crore to execute various civil and allied works for the G20 events in Goa. Ex post facto approval for the same was granted recently by the cabinet with extreme alacrity, the sarkar (govt) also granted permission for works identified at the last moment. As per the CPWD manual if time is not available for e-tendering, all regular and unforeseen works shall be taken up by inviting spot quotations. So this reeks of a big scam.
Firstly, the state government had more than 6 months notice for staging the G20 summit events which at most were 2/3 day affairs, why was proper planning not done as regards civil and other works, I am sure with such talented mantris(ministers) and sundry consultants, this could easily have been achieved. Secondly, last minute spot quotations are open to manipulation and it is extremely easy for the PWD engineers to award the work to a favoured contractor, no questions asked. Thirdly, ex-post facto approval sets a dangerous precedent for works in future and would lead to more corruption in public bodies funded by taxpayer’s money. It is extremely worrisome to note how works worth Rs154 crores (a crore or two would be understandable) were executed sans regular tendering but were deemed sanctioned retrospectively without any due process of analysis being followed. The structural rehabilitation of the Kala Academy also comes to mind. “Shah Jahan never floated a tender to build the Taj Mahal “, said a very wise minister when questioned as to why the Rs 50 crore KA renovation work was awarded without a tender. Unlike the G20 summit there was no emergency here. I fear backdated administrative and financial approval for public works citing purported exigencies shall become a template in future to rake in the moolah and shirk accountability.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
The link between tomatoes and GDP
The price of tomatoes has gone through the roof. But why do we find it so difficult to pay Rs 160 for a kg of tomatoes when we are supposedly a rich country, being the 5th largest economy in the world by GDP? Yet we cannot afford to pay the market price of tomatoes. To understand this conundrum we need to examine the convoluted role of population in calculating GDP. Let us compare India and Australia. India with a population of 1,350 million is ranked 5th by GDP while, Australia, a highly developed country with a population of 26 million is ranked 13th. Let us assume that India produces 1 sack of wheat per person every year. Our GDP for this single item will be a huge 1,350 million sacks of wheat which is just enough to feed us. Australia on the other hand produces 10 times the amount per person but their GDP will be only 10×26 million or 260 sacks of wheat. But as they have a huge surplus, they export the surplus and earn about $10 billion annually for the country. Extrapolate the wheat sack example to all goods and services in the country. It will then emerge that the per person production is very low in relation to other countries. Therefore the true indicator of the economy is not the GDP but the per capita GDP. Now when we take GDP per person our rank is not 5th but 122nd! Hence we cannot afford to purchase tomatoes at Rs 160 per kg, because we are poor though we are the 5th largest economy in the world!
Robert Castellino, Calangute/Mumbai
Act against alcohol carriers in wildlife sanctuaries, waterfalls
The State government has now temporarily decided to ban public entry into all wildlife sanctuaries and waterfalls until further orders in response to two recent drowning deaths at Mainapi waterfall in the remote Netravali village of Sanguem taluka.
Well, the reason why most people (especially the youngsters) lose their lives during the monsoon every year is because they consume alcohol and create nuisance at such hinterland tourist spots despite of knowing fully well that these places are actually meant for trekking & not to organize their group picnics in Goa.
I therefore personally feel that the State government instead of coming out with some one-sided temporary decisions ie banning public entry into all wildlife sanctuaries & waterfalls for a while, should henceforth go to take strict action against such type of ‘stupid’ people, who are found carrying alcohol stock and going for their weekend group picnics at such isolated hinterland places and behave like zombies. This should be done if govt really wants to stop some innocents from dying due to drowning incidents in future during the monsoons in different parts of Goa. Hope better sense prevail….
Jerry Fernandes, Saligao
