Appointment of administrators
The Chief Minister’s decision to appoint administrators on all Village Panchayats and hold elections after monsoons with OBC quota, is appropriate. It would have been difficult to conduct polls in heavy rains of Goa especially since ballot paper is used for these elections, which would be wet and prone to damage.
I have worked for elections as Polling Party (before advent of EVMs) and I know how sensitive a ballot paper is. Even if one ballot paper is mutilated or lost, the Presiding Officer may get suspended.
Therefore, I hope the State Election Commission would accede to the Government proposal.
Sadanand M. Raikar, Colva
CEC and EC forego perks
It was heartening to read that the newly appointed Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioner (EC) have decide to forego the income-tax benefits that is available to them on sumptuary allowance (Rs 34,000 only per month). Also, they will avail one of the 3 leave travel concessions (LTC) that they are entitled to in a year. Similar perks and benefits are doled out to Supreme Court judges, National Human Rights Commission, Cabinet Secretary, Lok Pal etc. Hope these dignitaries too would follow the fine example set by the CEC and EC.
Depending on their ranking/grades Central government employees are given variable amount of non-taxable sumptuary allowance to offset the expenditure that they incur on entertaining visitors. Hope ‘entertaining’ (chai-paani, food etc.) is defined and whether applicable at home, work or both. Who pays if the officials exceed the sumptuary allowance? Why pay the allowance when officials receive sumptuous salary and other perks (housing, car, driver, phone etc.)?
Another issue is that government employees are entitled to 2 home town or 1 all-India LTC in a four-year block, for self, spouse and children. How is that certain category of officials gets 3 LTC per year? The citizens are unaware about other benefits that the higher officials enjoy, a custom perhaps that prevailed during the British rule.
The government should ensure that it practices austerity measures instead of imposing these on lower level employees and citizens. Or does it follow the dictum (with due apology to the late George Orwell) “All officials are equal, but some are more equal than others?”
Sridhar D’Iyer, Caranzalem
Malik deserves death penalty
Yasmin Malik is the Chairman of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, an armed group that rose against Indian atrocities in occupied Kashmir. In 2019, the Indian government arrested Malik, banned the JKLF, and stripped Indian-administered Kashmir of its special status. He had been responsible for the Kashmiri Pandits’ exodus from the Valley. He had been charged with hatching a criminal conspiracy, waging war against the country, other unlawful activities, and disturbing peace in Kashmir.
The abduction of Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of then Union Home Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed in 1989, in which Malik was involved, and the subsequent release of militants was another major movement for Kashmir. He had set up an elaborate structure and mechanism across the world to raise funds for carrying out terrorist and other unlawful activities in Jammu and Kashmir in the name of the ‘freedom struggle’. Yasin Malik deserves no sympathy and he deserves the death penalty.
K.G Vilop, Chorao
Make way for popular leaders
If Congress had inducted Prashant Kishore it would have been a game changer. Now it is a lost opportunity. The Congress boat will sink if Gandhis do not make way for younger leaders. The Gandhi family is not as popular as it used to be during Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.
So none of them (Sonia, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi) are in a position to communicate effectively with the voters and workers, and in one voice across the length and breadth of the country.
Diomedes Pereira, Corlim
Mass murders in Texas
Another 19 children of Primary schools and 2 teachers lost their lives. This is not one of the incident but 39th in 6 months. The parents will mourn their loss for the rest of their lives and survivors will be haunted with.
The gun culture is entrenched into life of USA citizens for centuries with movies glamorizing it.Estimate show 399 million weapons in circulation more than citizens of USA. For every 100 people the guns possessed in USA is highest in the world. NRA is the most powerful and influential gun lobby. Republicans patronize it whole heartedly with some Democrats too making a common cause. The reason is obvious funding profits and supporting judicial reviews.
The second amendment enables possession of gun after 18 years without licence’ background check’, or type of weapon easy availability, specially automatic and semi-automatic fire arms. Both parties must work together thorough legislation to better regulate or people in a mass movement vote them out of power on this single issue. Causes may be racial overtones, mental health, psychological, immaturity, easy availability without strict licensing procedure.
Innocent children and others are caught in crossfire without any reasons and sufferings are immense to put a price tag security everywhere is impossible task as such misguided gunmen are on loose. The politicians to remain in power and be in good books with gun lobby are playing with innocent lives of citizens.
So far no legislation to regulate has been forthcoming in spite of several such blood chilling incidents recurring with regular frequency. The issue must take the form of abolishing of slavery and equal rights.
Nelson Lopes, Chinchinim
Stop gun violence in America
It is really sad to hear and see the horrific News Of the Elementary school shooting in Texas. A local youth gunman on his 18th birthday opened fire at Robb elementary school in Uvaide town,Texas killing 19 children under the age of 7 to 10 year’s and 2 teachers shocked not only America but the whole world. Also multiple children were wounded inside the classroom. This crazy teenage shooter has also shot his grandmother before shooting the innocent children’s.
Day by day the gun shoot crime cases are on the raise in America and the citizens and the other people who works in this country are not safe anymore. Sad to see that the world top country who goes to save and protect other countries of the World has failed to save and protect their own citizens of the country who are looted and killed in gun shoot openly without any fear.
Feel sorry for the parent’s who have never taught that their children’s will not return back home from school. I have no words to express, my heart is broken into pieces.
We have are already missing our Goan brother John in the gun shooting which took month’s before and request our Goan brothers and sisters to be safe. God bless and protect you from this stupid person s who are looting and killing people in the open fire. They are not human beings but worse than animals ‘A Devil Santan’.
Ronnie D’Souza, Chandor
