Rethink society’s signature
The shooting incident in Santa Cruz exposed the dark underbelly of underground crime simmering below the surface in Goa. Illegal businesses like hafta, matka and even legal business like fish and fruit is controlled by them. The St Cruz shooting has the cops already judging that the killing was ‘accidental’ while the juveniles were ‘called to take the dead body to the hospital’. Ravi Naik remains the only politician who cracked the whip against such criminals. Many senior leaders from all parties have been utilising such people and furthering their political careers. Does Goem, Goenkar, Goenkarponn subscribe to this? Hafta is easily taken from migrant business like kiosks, fish, fruit and vegetable traders and the like. Again, this is why we have so many of them in Goa. We are now building a memorial for a former CM who did nothing to stem this underground crime.
R Fernandes, Margao
Gang wars
The shocking Herald headlines – ‘Gang War erupts in St Cruz’ and the ground reality report ‘Nightmares best forgotten raked up in St Cruz’ should be enough for the government and the police top officers to sit together and plan the future course of action in the interest of people of Merces, St Cruz and not forgetting Chimbel to protect and to restore peace to the villagers as it was during ex-CM Ravi Naik’s time. The point to be noted is that Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant, IGP, North Goa SPs, including MLAs of Cumbarjua, St Cruz and Panjim must plan on acquiring a small piece of land between Merces, St Cruz and Bambolim highway and open a new police station to handle these areas, which will be more accessible to police offices, staff, to reach the villages within a few minutes, instead of the police station being five kilometres away at Old Goa. The Old Goa Police Station caters to Old Goa, Corlim, Carambolim, St Estevam, Gaundalim, Divar, Merces, St Cruz, Chimbel, and if not mistaken Sao Pedro, Chorao, with only one PI, 2 PSIs. It is also a request to the CM to appoint new PI, PSIs, staff, to look at these areas.
Jerry D’Souza, Divar
Accept nature’s ways
Amidst the coronavirus wave, we in Goa had one thing to boast that we had no casualties. But sadly, even that privilege has been snatched away with deaths of two men. That is the scourge of this virus which no one can take for granted.
We are well aware how initially the confirmed cases in Goa were only seven making us complacent that we have succeeded in containing the malaise though in other parts of the country the cases were unabatedly surging. There were some in our State who even started saying that Goa is a land protected by the Saint and that no matter what calamities strike elsewhere, our State is free from all the troubles. Such thoughts are highly misplaced. In this world, simple wisdom would entail that we should know to accept nature’s ways, which may be favourable somewhere at some time and problematic elsewhere during other periods.
The unreliability of this new virus is evident from the fact that some countries like China and later New Zealand declared that they were free from the virus only to see new cases emerging thereafter. It was earlier projected that in India COVID-19 would see a peak towards July end and afterward relent steadily, but now the experts have recast it to November indicating that the scourge is showing no signs of abating.
The WHO has said that the second phase of the coronavirus is on the prowl indicating that there is no breather whatsoever. The best that we can do is untiringly keep testing people to isolate the infected thereby preventing its further spread. That alone is the remedy as declared by many.
Michael Vaz, Merces
Is govt work possible from home?
The COVID-19 pandemic in Goa has severely dented the economy of the State. The lockdown forced many businesses, industries and small vendors to close down, rendering thousands jobless. Now the State business wheels have begun to roll back, but bringing in the much feared COVID-19 virus affecting workers. The government has now gone overboard to announce that if any member of a family is affected, the government employee should inform his supervisor and he can work from home. Sounds like an amusing order. How do you expect a peon to work from home or a clerk or an accountant or any one of the officials given the department’s poor infrastructure on digitisation? How can one access official department computers from home? I hope all care will be looked in not to encourage records to be misused or encourage cyber hackers to ruin government records.
Everyone knows how effective the government works at normal times. Take the case of sending complaints by email to concerned officials. How effective are these complaints and how have they been acknowledged and acted upon by the officers is what the Chief Minister and his ministers need to check and give necessary instructions to officers to check their emails and reply with action taken to the complaints. Work from home is a concept used by top software engineers or maybe by top CEOs or government ministers.
Gregory E D’Souza, Siolim
Fundamental reason virus spreading
At a time when maintaining physical distance has become crucial for containing the spread of COVID-19, many in Mumbai appear to be not too serious about following safety precautions. With the restrictions imposed during the lockdown being gradually lifted, precautions like physical distancing are ignored at markets, public places and several business establishments. In fact, a visit to any vegetable market in the morning hours show that people hardly practice physical distancing. Several youngsters can be seen travelling together on motorbikes without masks and some, while wearing masks, remove it to speak to others. These can be essential and fundamental reasons to spread the virus. Maintaining physical distance and wearing masks must be taken seriously specially in big cities and where virus increasing speedily.
Najibullah Qasmi Mumbai
God protect Goans from the virus
The coronavirus has finally taken Goa by storm and is currently spreading to different parts of our State. The one thing I remember is that when Goa was in the green zone, Goans were seen taking extra care by wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and refusing to move out from their houses to stay fully safe.
Unfortunately, today despite the rise in the COVID-19 cases, most Goans are not seen taking any precautionary measures, but moving out without maintaining any social distancing and behaving in an irresponsible manner. Today, most are not just seen roaming around in a casual manner and travelling in packed private buses sans masks and without maintaining social distancing .
The government too has been soft by not making any serious effort to stop the spread of the virus in Goa.
Looks like the government is somehow trying to keep the locals distracted from its major failures for many more months, if not for years in Goa. God alone should liberate us Goans from all power-hungry politicians to really keep us safe from the deadly virus during the pandemic and allow us to roam around fully fit like normal humans in the years to come … Viva Goenkar….
Jerry Fernandes, Saligao
