Shift State’s capital to Porvorim
The capital city of Panaji is in a pathetic state. Visitors to the city to get their official work done at the government offices are put to untold misery. The rains have flooded many parts of the city. But then flooding of the capital city is not a new phenomenon. It has been taking place year in and year out due to clogged drains.
This year the Smart City works has made things even worse. The traffic congestion in the city has reached the breaking point. Finding a parking place is like searching for a needle in a haystack. IFFI and other international functions are held in the city and large number of tourists visit the city due to the casinos. Hence it would seem most appropriate to shift the state capital to neighbouring Porvorim. The satellite city of Porvorim already has the State Assembly Complex the judiciary, executive. Other government offices could be shifted from Panaji to a single government building at Porvorim. Being located at a height there will be no flooding and the newly built Atal Setu makes traveling to Porvorim a pleasant experience. Other states in the country have the legislative complex in the capital city.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Manipur incidents both shocking and shattering
Whether he has done it with good intention or bad intention, the entire nation has to be thankful to the one who has made the video clip of two of the hapless women being paraded naked and all atrocities committed against them by a mob of inhuman hooligans in Manipur.
It is only this clip which went viral in the media that has touched the conscience of the Supreme Court to warn both the Central government and the BJP- run state government in Manipur to act against the mayhem in Manipur failing which they will initiate action, which in turn has made Prime Minister Modi who was tight-lipped for over 70 days on this burning issue to break his silence and condemn the dastardly and heinous acts against the women in question. Though his speech had been confined only to this particular incident and there was no appeal for peace, one only hopes that realising the grievous situation that prevails in Manipur, he will come forward to make a longer statement in the Parliament with the details of the efforts taken by his government to bring normalcy to this state which is burning for more than two months and the situation has gone out of control.
That the Prime Minister expressed grief and has said that he was bleeding in his heart over the most inhuman and beastly treatment meted out to our sisters, one is sure he will immediately rush to Manipur to have an in -person assessment of the situation there, assuage the sufferings of the people and do his best to bring peace to this state. It is hoped he will also announce the dismissal of Biren Singh, Chief Minister of the state who is alleged to be the main cause for the creation of the present situation in Manipur.
Tharcius S Fernando, Chennai
Law and order gone for a toss in Manipur
The Manipur incident is highly unspeakable, unacceptable, and brought utter disgrace to the entire nation. The horrifying incident exposes the incompetence and maladroitness of the ruling BJP to control the ethnic violence in the small State, which has been raging for well over two months now. The video of the sexual assault that went viral, drives home the message for India and the rest of the world that such horrors are happening in Manipur for long, and that till today the law of the land is not enforced without fear or favour, because the State’s chief minister, under whose government the flame of ethnic violence was ignited, has been left untouched and insulated by the Centre. The shame and shock felt by every sane and civilised citizen of the country after the video went viral, has rightly and naturally caused massive outrage. The horrifying incident in Manipur raises serious doubt whether we are living in a civilized society or not. After a prolonged lull, Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally spoke about the beleaguered State for a couple of minutes. But what adds to the pain is that even in his short address, sadly he didn’t speak about the ethnic conflagration in Manipur at all.
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai
Crackdown on all illegal constructions
It should be the firm resolve and always the endeavour of authorities to ensure that no illegal construction is allowed anywhere. It would have been so nice if our villages and cities were all well planned in accordance with the planning rules. Today we find people being inconvenienced due to illegal construction activity mushrooming in their neighbourhood. It would be proper to ensure that all the required infrastructure is in place before allowing new constructions. This would make sure that the residents live in peace without any fights and friction in the neighbourhood.
The authorities should always exercise zero tolerance to any development or construction that does not meet the full planning regulations and once approved, the ongoing development must be inspected to ensure that it is completed to the standards and the approved plan.
Illegal constructions and those that do not follow the correct planning regulations and standards are clearly counterproductive. They are a health and environmental risk that puts undue pressure on our already poor infrastructure, our roads, our scarce and unreliable water and electricity resources, garbage collection and recycling facilities. They are an eyesore and place a needless burden on the people and the State.
It is about time that the mindset of the authorities is single mindedly geared to ensuring that we only have legal, sustainable development that will benefit present and future generations while all illegalities swiftly face the full force of the law.
Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar
Will the Manipur victims get justice?
The viral video showing the horrible rape/murder of women/men is shocking enough to challenge the conscience of India and I hope the ruling party which is marketing India as the “Mother of all democracies”!
The CM of Manipur is now on a face saving mission, saying that the guilty will be brought to justice but was his government and all the agencies (including Central/State) really unaware of this horrific incident for nearly 2 months; considering it was reported that the mob snatched the victims from a police patrol! I seriously doubt that the BJP authorities would have acted had the video not gone viral! What I shudder to think is how many similar if not worse incidents have gone unreported in Manipur!
Arwin Mesquita, Colva.
