Lack of civic sense
This has reference to the letter ‘Stop spitting in passages, stairways of public buildings’ (Herald, 29 March 2021.) Oh my God! What a gory sight! This surely is bad, it tells on the type of people who indulge in such acts.
Here in Mumbai, one is used to seeing such disgusting sights in public buildings, on the local trains, in between the doors of the train, inside & in between the doors of elevators, on the streets, in short, anywhere & everywhere. The authorities spend so much of funds to clean up the place, putting up sign boards, etc., even resorting to fines, but all that seems to be like water over a duck’s back. This only shows complete ‘lack of civic sense’. And it is not restricted just to spitting, one will find trash being thrown all over the place.
We can be called a ‘spitting nation’, sometimes one feels, spitting is a’ ‘national time pass’, people will spit for no reason at all. The change has to come from within. It is said, ‘you can take the horse to the water, you can’t make him drink!’
Melville X. D’Souza, Mumbai
For tax-free ISI helmets
It is quite common to see roadside vendors selling substandard helmets which do not carry the mandatory ISI mark despite the ban on the sale of such helmets. These substandard helmets are of very little effectiveness in protecting the head of the rider in case of a fall or an accident. Hence it is vital to wear a branded helmet with ISI mark.
Wearing a head-gear by a two-wheeler rider is mandatory by law. It is true that a helmet can prevent a head injury and hence avoid fatality due to an accident. However it must be said that the price of these ISI mark helmets could prove prohibitive for the common man who could be attracted by the low priced helmets sold by the roadside. It is pertinent to note that the ISI mark helmet attracts an 18 % GST besides other taxes.
In order to make these helmets available at an affordable price to the common man it would be desirable for the state government to make these helmets available free of all taxes by absorbing the various taxes.
This will go a long way in reducing the price of a branded helmet so that more riders go for these ISI mark helmets rather than the cheaper variety helmets available by the roadside and in the process save precious lives.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
The show of outsiders
The State government, in view of the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the state has reportedly decided to impose strict restrictions regarding public gatherings during the festivals like Easter, Holi, Eid, Shab-e-Bharat etc as contained in the SOP of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
Unfortunately, the same state government has been refusing to put any restrictions over the mass gatherings of all the incoming domestic tourists/outsiders on our Goan beaches/public places and all other tourism related activities in Goa. The worse thing is that it has been mischievously allowing the owners of casinos, night clubs and all the starred hotels to host huge rave-disco/bhangra parties at their premises for the benefit of all their non-Goan guests but has been selectively targeting only the niz-Goenkaars by not allowing them to essemble in small groups or to unitedly celebrate even their annual traditional religious festivals in Goa but why?
Hey, if our ruling politicians want to control the spread of the rising Covid-19 cases in the state (as being claimed through the media) then instead of indulging in such open double standards, why are they not sealing all the neighbouring borders immediately on top priority basis in Goa? Why are they not putting strict restrictions and penalising all the domestic tourists for moving around so carelessly and daringly violating all norms of social distancing almost everywhere, especially on all the prominent beaches of Goa?
I think that making fast money has become more important than protecting the precious lives of Goans for most of our current bunch of politicians of today. Yes, by entertaining the outsiders, they just want to keep their show to go on in Goa and it doesn’t matter even if we Goans are permanently doomed forever in the state.
Sorry to say that our “Bhangarachem Goem” is slowly, but definitely being turned into another Bihar, if not UP by our very own elected so-called ‘rulers’ after forcing us all Niz-Goans to live like strangers, if not prisoners and outsiders like the ultimate legal owners of this state. God alone save Goa and all the Niz-Goenkaars.
Jerry Fernandes, Saligao
Flip side of the pandemic
Agriculture seems to have received a boost in the State largely owing to the pandemic. This is evidenced by the spurt in agricultural loans disbursed by financial institutions showing that many took to farming to tide over adverse circumstances, correspondingly there has been a steep fall in house and education loans over the past one year.
With job losses, salary cuts and bleak employment prospects many white- collared workers took to cultivating exotic and non native fruits / vegetables like strawberries, dragonfruit and avocados making use of land lying fallow in their family for generations. Agricultural term loans amounted to @ Rs 405 crore while the educational loan offtake was only Rs 13 crore.
Farming and horticulture helped many battle the livelihood crisis and also opened up an alternative revenue stream. Families of office workers who have resumed duties are still continuing with farming activities to generate income in these trying times, the pandemic doesn’t seem to be abating anytime soon….As they say, “Never let a crisis go to waste.”
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Are we permitting a dictatorial democracy?
We the people have to answer this question in the light of the government bulldozing whatever it wants through Parliament, the President signing on the dotted line and the Supreme Court appearing to be in awe of the Executive.
The SC refused to stay the operation of Electoral Bonds in secrecy even though opposed in a PIL also by the EC! Parliament passed the Bill just last week for the LG to be the government over the elected government despite the SC ruling in July 2018 that the LG cannot interfere in every decision of the Delhi government and he must act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers!
What we are permitting therefore, much as officially denied, is correctly labelled as “Dictatorial Democracy” The determination of the BJP to utilize all its money, state powers and mighty electoral machine to win elections by any and every means can clearly be seen in the elections of the Southern states and especially in Bengal!
The divided opposition and manipulation of the electorate is masterful and whether we can be a happy colorful nation with only one saffron color and ideology, killing unity in diversity, is the moot point we the people have to now choose to get the government we deserve!
John Eric Gomes, Porvorim
Unite and save Goa
I was very happy to see all groups and NGOs trying to save Goa’s ecology and identity get together on Opinion Poll Day meeting in Margao. But sadly that show of unity was temporary. Some of them have formed political parties and started attacking each other.
No wonder Goans are famous for the crab mentality. I humbly request all these groups, AAP, RG, GE etc NGOs, activists to unite and keep aside their differences for the sake of Goa. The only common point should be sincerity to save Goa. But keep the selfish politicians with their own agendas out. Nothing but unity will save us.
Godwin D’Costa, by email
