Ideas for India meet
There is a hue and cry made over the observations of of Rahul Gandhi on an international platform over the functioning of the Indian Foreign Service and polarisation which is blatantly done by the powers that be thereby dividing the people in the name of religion and community to garner votes. Those who oppose Rahul’s comments saying that he should not have uttered such stuff in a foreign soil should not forget that it is only Prime Minister Modi who initiated to denigrate the opposition, particularly the Gandhi family and repeatedly said that no development was made in the country before his BJP government came to power in 2014, whenever he was on the foreign soil. No other Prime Minister has ever spoken so badly about India and the opposition during their visits abroad like Modi.
As the international arena is well aware of what all are happening in India today even otherwise, there is nothing wrong in the observations made by Rahul which are undoubtedly very true and cannot be countered as false or concocted by the ruling dispensation.
Tharcius S Fernando, Chennai
Awareness about Dengue necessary
Even as various parts of the State are witnessing rains, it is learnt that cases of dengue are reportedly increasing at an alarming rate with the Ponda Health Centre reporting 38 cases of the disease till date. It is understood that the slum areas in Ponda have become an area of concern due to unhygienic conditions prevalent in the talukha. Several people are showing signs of the disease and are yet to undergo a test.
It is learnt that the situation in Dattagad area of Ponda is almost like an outbreak of the vector-borne disease. Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne infection that can lead to a severe flu-like illness. It is caused by four different viruses and spread by Aedes mosquitoes. Prevention is by reducing mosquito habitat and limiting exposure to bites. This may be done by getting rid of stagnant water and wearing clothing that covers much of the body.
While it is necessary for the authorities to control the spread of the disease by fogging and spraying the areas, awareness of the disease and steps necessary to prevent getting infected is of utmost importance.
People living in the slums may be unaware of the ways to prevent being infected. Proper hygiene and preventing breeding of mosquitoes by avoiding accumulation of rainwater can go a long way in controlling the spread of the infection. For this awareness needs to be created in the locality which has seen a large number of dengue cases.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
What constitutes free speech?
A Delhi High Court’s bail order should become mandatory reading for police and judicial officers everywhere, especially given these times where free speech is shackled in chains at the slightest pretext. While speedily freeing a professor of History at Delhi University who was unjustifiably arrested for a social media post on the Gyanvapi mosque controversy, the magistrate’s order enunciated and dwelt upon extensively on what constitutes free speech i.e. that another person’s view may offend you but that most certainly doesn’t mean that person has committed an offence; democracy is no more than a dead fish without a wide diversity of opinion. Extraordinarily the educationist was booked under IPC section 153 A which pertains to ‘promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion’ on an arbitrary complaint filed by a local lawyer. With over 138 crore of us there could be as many different point of views and feelings of hurt nursed by an individual cannot be conflated with targeting an entire group or community.
Perilously for Indian democracy, the police are wilfully blurring communal fault lines, deliberately not making these distinctions and seem all too willing to create a crime where none existed to please their political masters using draconian tools like the sedition law, the blasphemy law , UAPA, etc. While a citizen’s right to report a crime is sacrosanct, the police’s job is to do due diligence, the lack of which is effectively making these laws blunt force instruments of denunciation and torture for partisans against political and even personal enemies; the low rate of conviction amply bears out this fact.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Our students, youth are beacons of hope
School and College students must be encouraged and motivated to focus on a lot of reading and writing. This would enhance their knowledge and also help trigger their thinking process. Students are our future and they must be moulded to be guardians and watch dogs of Goa. Each one of us in our small little way can contribute for the betterment of Goa and its people.
Our students carry the hopes and aspirations not just of themselves but of their families and the entire state and nation. It is therefore imperative on the state to provide full support to our dedicated teachers, students and their hard working parents. The late Whitney Houston’s words ‘I believe that children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside’ should be taken seriously.
We need to be alert to any wrong doings by those in power and authority. This needs to be fearlessly exposed and in doing so the RTI Act is a handy tool that we should all use to confirm the illegality or any act of corruption we suspect. Social media is a powerful weapon to instantly create awareness across the world on an issue we feel strongly about. We also need to share amongst our groups and friends all posts that we feel would be of use to our fellow brethren. Substandard public works being the order of the day, citizens should be vigilant that every work being executed with public funds must strictly meet quality standards.
By putting a little extra effort we can all make our Goa a better place for all. Let us not shy away, as this is our bounden duty. We owe it to our land.
Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar
Open borewells are death traps
On May 22, a 6-yr-old boy died after falling into a 300 foot deep borewell in a village in Punjab. Similarly, two years ago at Sangrur a 2-yr-old boy died after falling into a 150 foot deep borewell, and the authorities had decided that no borewells would be kept open. These are just two examples while there are several in the past (even televised 24×7) from other Indian States in which children were rescued or else the incidents were unreported. Generally, the authorities and villagers will be aware when a person digs a borewell and could determine if permission was sought and granted. If the dry borewell is abandoned, the authorities need to check if it is filled with the excavated sand (and not sold to builders) and not covered with jute bags, wooden boards etc.
It is difficult to understand the mindset of the persons who readily spend time and large amounts of money to dig borewells but do not spare a little more to fill the dry borewells that become death traps.
There should be a heavy financial penalty if borewells are not properly closed and in case someone falls inside then stringent punishment to be meted against the person who dug the borewell. Till serious actions are taken leaving the borewells open would continue to haunt the rural places. Urban areas have pot-holes as analogues, but these are relatively less dangerous and maneuverable!
Sridhar D’Iyer, Caranzalem
