Silence on Manipur violence is deafening
Perhaps no other Indian State had ever been in the thick of a raging ethnic violence and engulfed by fire like what we have been witnessing in Manipur for well over a month now. With no other better option, the queasy situation in Manipur, should force the Union government to rise above partisan considerations and impose President Rule in the State. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been obdurately reticent and yet to utter a single word on the violence plaguing the State, Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Imphal has done little to quell the tensions. The State is in anarchy not seen in any part of India for decades. Precious lives have been lost, many have been injured in clashes, villages were burnt, over 47,000 people have been evacuated, and shops and properties have been destroyed and looted. Does Manipur warrant anything more to clamp President’s Rule?
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai
Nehru’s legacy can never be erased
The recent renaming of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) as Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library is in accordance with the practice adopted by NDA government and the ruling BJP’s policy of erasing history which they do not like, and specifically erasing from history, names that they do not approve of. As expected, a war of words has erupted between the Congress and the BJP. The country’s outstanding freedom fighter and first PM Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru has always been demeaned and demonised by the ruling establishment and so the change of name is no surprise. It is claimed that the name change represented the ‘democratisation’ of the institution and the representation of various PMs, presumably on the nation’s stage and in their memory. The question of democracy in the case of PMs does not arise and by common understanding it is the equal rights of all citizens.
As a mark of respect for the country’s first PM of independent India, the NDA government should have deemed it fit to keep his official residence name, where he spent the last years of his life. The legacy of Nehru who played a crucial role in shaping the Indian Independence movement and laid the foundation for democratic and secular nation can never be overshadowed or wished away.
Gregory Fernandes, Mumbai
Credit due for Panjim City’s facelift
The CCP received a lot of flak and were bombarded with the frustrations that residents of the city went through at a time when indiscriminate and uncoordinated digging was taking place in the city, putting the people into great inconvenience. Besides so many accidents and mishaps occurred at regular intervals. The print media and the Whatsapp groups were fully critical and apprehensive at the fate the citizens would have to face once heavy monsoons arrive in Goa.
But we should offer kudos to all the CCP and the Smart City for getting most of the city roads resurfaced and it is a pleasure driving on the new surface of the roads bereft of all pot holes, which took a toll on our backs and damaged vehicles in the bargain. Even the completely excavated road from St Inez to the PWD office has been roughly resurfaced giving a lot of relief to the residents and road users. One prominent feature of the resurfacing of the streets has been the end to end asphalting without any mud surface in the sides which will keep the streets cleaner.
The delay in arrival of the monsoon has been a blessing in disguise and gave sufficient time for the authorities to carry out the necessary up-gradation. A lot still needs to be done; nonetheless credit is due to all the parties – the PWD, CCP, Smart City Ltd, etc, which had gone on a digging spree for putting things in order. It is hoped that flooding in the city will be reduced to a great extent.
Alwyn M D’Sa, Miramar
Heavy vehicle drivers are human too
The Union Transport Ministry has approved a proposal which mandates that all truck cabins shall be air-conditioned from 2025 onwards. This will provide much needed succour to drivers who often spend up to 14 hours driving vehicles in hot and humid conditions (where temperatures hit 48°C) to enable delivery of essential goods across the nation. In the USA and other advanced nations, truckers by law cannot drive after 60 to 70 hours on duty, in seven or eight consecutive days. They can only resume driving after taking 34 or more consecutive hours off duty. Their freight / trucking firms are liable to lose their interstate trade licenses in addition to pecuniary penalties if they flout statutory regulations. Harsh work conditions and inhumanely long service hours on Indian highways are major reasons for driver exhaustion and subsequently major accidents. Most Indian heavy vehicle manufacturers give air-conditioning the go by to save costs even as it costs only an additional Rs 20,000 to fit in an AC system in a truck. This is for their products to be more competitive in a cut-throat market. The little incremental cost does much though to increase driver comfort and ensure that he does his job well. This proposal had been in the works since 2016 but was put on the backburner as there was concerted opposition from the heavy vehicle industry mavens who had gone so far as to argue that ACs in the driver’s cabins will make them feel sleepy and result in more accidents. This is a praiseworthy move by the government.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Do not dig up ghosts from the past
History is past tense. The best aspects of history must be retained in the present tense and politicians must refrain from making our future, tense.
Our politicians spend more time and energy in destroying, rather than in building. If only they used all their energy in constructive work, Goa would be a paradise on earth. There would be more water in our taps and uninterrupted electricity in our homes. The roads would be cleaner and the fields, greener. There would be fewer dogs on the streets and more morning walkers and joggers on them. There would be good jobs for our youth so that they do not have to migrate in search of greener pastures. The transport system would be on par with other cities, not stuck in a time warp. There would be no need to sell our properties to outsiders as our children would be working in Goa and living in their ancestral homes. Quality tourists would be coming to Goa instead of hordes of rowdy alcohol guzzlers. Our politicians must build on our past and take us to a glorious future. Goans must elect representatives who will build our future, not dig up ghosts from the past. Let the dead bury the dead.
Robert Castellino, Mumbai
Cowardly attack on pancha’s vehicle
I wish to condemn the recent cowardly attack on the vehicle of the ex sarpanch and current panch of Rumdamol Village Panchayat. It is indeed a very sad state of affairs in our calm and tolerant state of Goa. The law and order situation continues to deteriorate by the day. The attack apparently seems to be a direct fall out of the panch member’s threat to release pigs in the madarasas run by the Muslim community in the jurisdiction of the said panchayat. If it indeed was, then the culprit should be nabbed at the earliest by our law enforcement to stem such acts in the bud. At the same time the state administration should reprimand elected representatives to make irresponsible comments such as the panchayat members.
It now needs to be investigated by our administration to ensure that there is no law and order situation arising from this incident. The culprit should also be nabbed at the earliest, and a slight insight should be given to see if this incident was also a staged act to incite violence within two communities that have been living in peace for so many years in our tolerant state of Goa. May truth – in line with law and order prevail. Jai Hind, Jai Goa.
Jaret Chandrapurkar,
Chandor
