Politicians stop polarising voters
It was totally atrocious of the chief minister of Goa, giving a clarion call to the majority Hindu community of Goa to unite and fight against the desecration and razing of the Hindu temples by the colonial Portuguese regime; which is unbecoming of a person holding the most responsible and the coveted post of the Chief Minister.
Needless to mention that since 1962 to date, Pramod Sawant has proved beyond doubt as the worst performing Chief Minister of Goa. Of course, Ravi Naik comes a close second as it was Ravi Naik who gifted away Anjediva island to the Navy as well as ushered in the dangerous casino culture into Goa as well. The clownish behaviour of these two politicians have shown us that we need to vote distinctly against such bad apples and their rotten ideological leanings to save Goa from degradation both environmentally and sociologically too.
Elections 2022 are due soon and we must together vote out the radical saffronised elements who want to rule Goa through the polarization and marginalisation of voters and on communal grounds.
Sadly, there are black sheep amongst the minorities in Goa who are in league with these fascist forces and they must be thrown out of power inorder to save Goa from environmental, social, political chaos. Sooner the better.
Joe D’Souza, Panjim
Let us pray for peace this Christmas
Christmas greetings to you all. In a world full of divisiveness and hate let us pray for love and peace this Christmas.
Buildings of temples, mosques and churches do not make us holy and religious people. What we have in our minds and hearts is what makes us loving and forgiving people. Making laws and imposing restrictions do not necessarily prevent people from doing things or practicing a faith of their choice.
Only education can help us to learn and educate ourselves how to live in peace and harmony with religions of all faiths. This Christmas let us pray for our leaders to open their hearts and minds and accept that we are human first and then we become Hindu or Muslim or Christians.
Matias Lobo, Tivim
Don’t pump up the jam
In response to a PIL filed by concerned citizens, the High Court of Bombay at Goa has directed night patrolling by the local intelligence bureau, beat staff and night duty sub division officers to curb the menace of noise pollution. A dedicated phone line number 112 has been set up for receiving complaints from citizens which shall then be immediately forwarded to the concerned police station for further necessary action ie. filing of FIR and investigation/action against violators.
Noise monitoring committees shall be set up to carry out surprise checks at beach shacks, restaurants and hotels in coastal villages which are known to organise late night parties with loud music above 70 decibels; generally sound levels at or above above 85 decibels are detrimental to human hearing.
All serious violation of statutes will be reported directly to the District Magistrate who shall then invoke the provisions of the Noise Pollution (regulation and control ) Rules 2000 and the Environment Protection Act to deal with the errant parties. The problem is especially acute in commercial establishments dotting the villages of Chapora, Anjuna and Vagator which use amplifiers, loudspeakers and firecrackers to disturb the peace. Public awareness campaigns also need to be run alongside, to sensitize people to the dangers of high decibel levels which not only affect the hearing but also the heart, especially of the elderly.
Folks, don’t pump up the jam; keep your Christmas and New Year festivities low key, literally.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Modest way to rejoice this Christmas
Despite the COVID pandemic still looming and this year it being fear of that dreaded Omicron, let us in our own little modest way rejoice this Christmas while we get ready to usher in 2022.
The New Year has to see good governance in Goa with a government that is sensitive and caring in fulfilling the needs and aspirations of the people.
May we be always empowered with the might and spine to fearlessly speak out against any injustice and nepotism, which very sadly has become the order of the day, with the rich getting richer and the poor turning poorer. Good Governance is all about heeding to the voice of the people and not muzzling them.
Let our firm resolve always be to relentlessly strive for a better, greener and corruption free Goa, where only justice always prevails. We owe it to this great land of ours which today sadly finds itself at cross roads with the BJP misruling for a decade and having miserably failed on all fronts.
Goa will see better days only when we elect persons of integrity at all levels of Governance who are worthy to hold public office, with the intellectual capability and acumen to undertake the task of serving the people, truthfully and sincerely for the common good. Good Governance never depends upon laws only, but upon the personal qualities and uprightness of those who govern.
Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar
Time To fight Omicron
Difficult as it would seem, the international community has been gearing up for the battle against the newly found Omicron coronavirus variant. First up, this new variant has been detected in South Africa. Now that people have been willing to get vaccinated against COVID in large numbers across the world, the current fight against Omicron is only going to give the expected results.
First off, there should be no place for unnecessary fears and panic about this new variant among people. More to the point, people should continue wearing masks whenever they venture out. For this, the media houses from across the world should pitch for awareness campaigns spreading relevant news content.
On my part, I have been wearing masks right up till date while going out in my native areas like Korkai, Tuticorin, Tiruchendur, Nagercoil, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu. I have been encouraging others and my family members to do so.
As of now big news TV channels like BBC and CNN have been churning out many interesting stories about Omicron.
In this context, let us all pledge to break this new variant doing everything possible like wearing masks. After all, countries have to grow their agriculture and business to name a few. For this purpose, people should be active and free of restrictions and lockdowns.
P. Senthil Saravana Durai, Mumbai
Covid cases in airplane passengers
Nowadays often we read that a few passengers, of the hundreds arriving from the UK into Goa, test positive for the Covid virus. Recently, even a 13-yeard old girl was found to be positive. The passengers are sent to quarantine centers and the and their samples outside Goa to check for Omicron. The presence of Covid cases in airplane passengers occur despite the claims by the airlines that the aircraft is sanitised and the air inside is safe and fresh.
Although the passengers are mandatorily made to undergo Covid tests prior to departure and most of them may be DJs (double jabbed), yet some of them turn positive during the travel. What is the mystery? The continuing reports of Covid cases is alarming and worrisome. The moot point is, are the certificates issued in the UK genuine or is there something deeper about the virus that the experts have failed to identify and lock onto?
Sridhar D’Iyer, Caranzalem
