A PIL should be filed on Panjim flooding
The monsoon has just started and on the very first day, Panjim city streets were flooded.
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The Smart City project is now facing tough time to manage the rain water, since many works undertaken under the project are incomplete. Roads from St Inez to Tonca, roads in Taleigao area and other internal roads are flooded, since there is no way for the water to drain out. The infrastructure development under Smart City was started much earlier but they failed to complete the project before monsoons.
For the last over 20 years Panjim residents are facing severe hardships to drive two and four wheelers through the city and even walking through the city streets is dangerous. As there are many potholes on the road, after it rains the water get stagnated and one cannot judge the depth of potholes and thus leading to mishaps. Many roads are in bad shape and the monsoon makes it worse. Panjim being the capital city and known for its heritage, the city needs more attention to develop its infrastructure and if this is neglected, then citizens have to face the dire situation.
Panjim is known for hosting the recent G20 summit meetings, the international film festival and upcoming National games will also be held in Goa in October 2023. It’s the need of the hour to have solution for present situation as the rains have just started and the entire monsoon is before us. CCP and the State government should consult better architects and engineers to have a better liveable city for its residents. The high court suo moto took up the issue of traffic congestion in the city three months back and now it’s time to file another petition on the flooding of Panjim city during monsoon.
Raju Ramamurthy, Vasco
Goan traditions should be propagated
The Goa tourism department’s latest initiative to promote Chikal Kalo and Sao Joao to showcase traditional Goan culture is a commendable initiative. While Sao Joao has been popular for quite a few years now courtesy it’s commercialisation by hotels, institutions and villages, Chikal Kalo or the Mud festival has been relatively unknown and not on the tourist radar.The three day Chikal Kalo festival which got off to a rousing start at Shri Devki Krishna temple, Marcel saw many Indian and a few foreign tourists witness the proceedings. This is a good endeavour to exhibit Goa in a far better light than the usual ‘beach, booze, nightlife and sab chalta hai’ impression, which the state is saddled with.
The Shigmo and Carnival festivals have been big draws for tourists but the culturally rich Chikal Kalo will be a unique addition to the tourist calendar. Hopefully, this coupled with hinterland/farm tourism showcasing rural and tribal heritage will change Goa’s image for the better and bring in quality tourists instead of the ‘masti’ riff-raff crowd which the state attracts in hordes.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Uniform Civil Code, an election ploy
PM Modi’s push for the Uniform Civil Code has not just set the tone for the 2024 General Election, but has also caused worries for the Opposition and minority community leaders. As the promises of abrogating of Article 370 and Ram Mandir have been fulfilled, there is no doubt that BJP has come out with the innovative idea to raise topics that can appeal to the majority. It is understood the BJP-ruled Uttarakhand is spearheading the UCC campaign even as the Supreme Court had observed this year that the state governments had the power to examine the feasibility of implementing the common code. This is going to cause a lot of confusion and problems among states and all communities.
While the concept of a uniform set of laws for all citizens might seem appealing at first, it is crucial to examine its potential ramification at a later stage. Implication of such a code, particularly on personal rights and cultural diversity of minority communities must be considered. The code can be introduced gradually by raising awareness among communities of all religions. Importantly, the Centre must take into consideration the view of all stakeholders while drafting the UCC.
Gregory Fernandes, Mumbai
Why this hype for Indo-Pak ODI?
The fixtures of men’s cricket world Cup 2023, to be organised in India, is out and sports lovers and cricket lovers across the world have started the countdown. As soon as the schedule got published some of the media and cricket buffs turned their full attention on the date and venue of the India-Pakistan match, sidelining the other clashes. In the past too there was too much hullabaloo before India-Pakistan cricket matches in the media, some even going to the extreme of calling it ‘the ultimate war on cricket pitch’, ‘mother of battles’ and ‘war of titans’ etc .
Why this hype and hoopla about India-Pakistan match? In many of the cricket world cups, except for a few occasions, the Pakistani team was just a shadow of itself and had lost many times to India. More than matches against Pakistan, clashes with the very powerful Aussies, the English and the Kiwis are the ones to look forward to. Indian batters, fielders and bowlers are world class and on par with cricketers of the top three teams in ODI rank list and if they come out with their best, there is a chance for them to kiss the cricket world cup on November 19.
M Pradyu, Kannur
Harassment to journalist is unacceptable
The online badgering faced by the Wall Street Journal reporter Sabrina Siddiqui after her complex question to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on measures taken by his government to check human rights violations, establishes the alleged ill-liberality and xenophobia of the protagonists of Modi and the right-wing activists. Such harassment, targeting a journalist, including attacks on her Muslim identity, need to be condemned downright. The incident highlights the challenges faced by reporters who seek to hold leaders accountable and shed light on human rights concerns, and strongly underscores the need to protect press freedom. The Biden administration’s denunciation over the harassment of the journalist sends a strong message that such actions are unacceptable and contrary to the principles of any democracy.
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai
