How did excise dept staff accept cash?
Goa’s Chief Minister has ordered a probe into an alleged scam in the excise department as there were reports that some officials had issued fake new and renewal licences, and fake receipts to those operating liquor businesses. It is presumed that approximately Rs 2 crore may have been siphoned off. The scam may not have come into limelight had it not been for the same excise department sending notices to liquor business operators for non-payments of fees for the past few years and asking them to pay up. A case of one hand not knowing what the other was doing! When the agitated businesspersons went to the department, they were told that the receipts issued were fake.
The moot questions are –how did the department officials accept cash and not cheque or demand draft for licence fees that would be in thousands, if not in lakhs of rupees for each liquor vendor? When even house taxes of a few hundred and thousand rupees are paid online or through UPI, then why did the business people pay in cash to the department for their licences? Were they assured of any ‘discounted rates?’ Perhaps the truth about the suspected scam and allied misdeeds could be revealed after the probe is completed. Hope no ‘high’ and mighty are involved in the scam game.
Sridhar D’Iyer, Caranzalem
Wastage of precious water — a ‘prime crime’
Multiple water supply lines are damaged all across the state during construction of roads, installation of underground utility lines /optic fibre/telecom network and laying of sewerage lines. As on date there are around1300 km of old water supply pipelines in Goa out of which only 10% have been replaced with new ones. Wherever there is damage detected, the old cement lines are replaced in an ad hoc manner with PVC pipelines, which by their very nature are fragile. Almost 40% of water being circulated earns no revenue for the government as the same is lost due to pipe/valve bursts and leakages from legacy lines. This is a criminal waste of the most important resource known to man.
Figures in excess of Rs 300 crore are being quoted to replace the old network. Goa was the first state in the country to be declared as having 100 % water supply connections (that is open to question though) to households under the ‘Har Ghar Jal’ scheme. Despite this, the state is facing an acute shortage of around 86 million litres per day of potable treated water for its needs. Goa also needs a statewide comprehensive water distribution and water loss prevention policy which must be formulated as soon as possible taking into confidence domain experts and all stakeholders. It is high time that the CM uses his good offices and rapport with PM Modi to get funds sanctioned for laying new water lines in the state. Also wasteful expenditure on electronic and print advertising showing Sawant saheb in slow motion with four camera angles, goggles and all to take stock of some inconsequential work can be put to better use to quench the thirst of Goa’s denizens.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Let’s get our priorities right!
This is with reference to the article on O Heraldo, titled ‘Let’s get our priorities right.’ (June 27, 2023). Initially, I would like to appreciate the author, Daniel F de Souza, the Vasco-based Konkani author and TV anchor, for portraying the facts regarding road accidents in a very systematic manner and it’s indeed an eye opener for a tourist destination such as Goa. Often it has been noticed that the law of the land has been taken for granted by certain tourists, just for the sake of enjoyment. It’s evident as how incidents of keeping the door open and driving on the road during the night can endanger the lives of several others.
Another incident that made headlines in the state few months back was that of a tourist driving a car on the beach, thus endangering the environment. However, there’s no end to several drink-and-drive cases which are often traced, thus posing a threat to other innocent drivers. This also reveals as how sensitive issues can turn out to be and taint the image of Goa. No doubt, the hospitable nature and warm welcome of the Goans do attract tourists to Goa, nevertheless, the tourists should also abide by the law of the land. Eventually, strict 24×7 vigilance on the roads is required to reduce such type of lawless atrocities. Maintaining strict discipline can inevitably save lots of tragedies that are happening on the roads.
Joseph Savio DeSouza, Candolim
Is Russia heading for a civil war?
This refers to the news item ‘Russian mercenary leader’s exile, ends revolt’ (June 26, 2023). It was a sudden development that plunged Russia and its supremo Vladimir Putin into a huge domestic crisis. The chief of Russia’s Wagner Group, a private armed force that had fought alongside the Russian army in Ukraine, appeared to have gone rogue to turn against Putin. Luckily for Putin, a truce was brokered by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko that saved the day for him. An eerie silence was felt in Russia after the dramatic end to an armed uprising that posed the greatest threat to Putin’s over two decades rule.
Its public row with the military establishment has created an impression of a divided Russia, at a time when Ukrainian forces are looking to assert themselves, should Russia appear vulnerable. The rapid chain of events has left the US and Europe confused over the political implications of rebellion that shattered Putin’s invincible image as Russia’s strongman. Like Pakistan who have cases of non-state militia ruling the roost there, a state patronage of non-state armed militia now threatens Russia. Pakistan who has helped the Taliban to regain power in Afghanistan is facing continuous terror attacks from Tehreek-e-Taliban, which along with other terrorist groups has found a safe haven in Afghanistan.
Putin’s nightmare scenario shall find him, in addition to the war against Ukraine and the war of words with the West, looking at a civil war.
Gregory Fernandes, Mumbai
Prof Imtiaz Ahmed’s death is a major loss
It is sad that the recent passing away of the renowned social scientist Prof Imtiaz Ahmed went unnoticed amidst the heat of political activities and other events across the country. As a political sociologist, Prof Ahmed was well-known for his work on caste among Muslims in India. Among his prominent works, the book Caste and Social Stratification among Muslims in India is celebrated as a pioneering work in the field, which helped to methodically and in detail to study the impact of caste and casteism on Muslim Indians. A staunch believer in India’s composite culture, he was a bold academician, and as a liberal he was often the butt of attacks from diverse kinds of fundamentalists. He would employ his deep understanding of religions and sociological insights to explain social changes rationally and critically. Prof Imtiaz Ahmed’s legacy will endure and inspire further generations of students and academics.
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai
