Great opportunity for world in 2021
As we bid farewell to 2020 and the globe enters the New Year 2021 which has left the indelible scars of the pandemic, an unprecedented opportunity beckons us for stimulating a logical world order that is based on the rule of law that respects all the nations of the world such that none inhabiting this world is not given the chance to shine while integrating into the global fabric of the mosaic that forms the diverse yet one entire comity of nations.
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Rising to new heights is within the grasp, as with the induction of various vaccination programmes around the world, eradication of Covid-19 is within sight in the coming year.
While laying stress on individual freedoms with responsibility, the governments of the world should strive towards signing of trade pacts, bilaterally and multilateral while allowing healthy competition and non compete clauses to streamline world trade to reach ever nook and cranny of the world that leads to collective growth that strengthens health, education, commerce and most importantly laying stress on human rights for all that forms the basic foundation and framework for a just and equitable world where hunger is eradicated and equality of opportunity drives the engine of world prosperity.
Eradicating the world of the pandemic can be seen not as a challenge but as an opportunity to give precedence to excellence and merit-based world where the beginning of a new millennium will transform the face of the earth into a radiant planet where credit is given to merit and none along the way is left behind.
Elvidio Miranda, Panjim
Now, know your government
Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Dec 30, 2020 at 2 pm, wrote a letter to all states and union territories asking them to curb crowding in the wake of New Year celebration and keep a strict vigil on all events that could be a potential ‘superspreader’.
He further urged the States to promptly assess the local situation and consider imposition of appropriate restrictions on December 30 &31, 2020 as well as on January 1, 2021.
Positive cases of the UK mutant strain is on the increase in India. All contacts of these people have not been traced. Cases as close as Pune have been reported. The transmission of the new strain is 70% more than the current. This is no small matter. In Goa, there have been a number of UK returned people in the suspect interval, not all of whom have been traced.
Now we need to see some positive action.
R Fernandes, Margao
Tourists not fined for not wearing masks?
The world leaders have reportedly advised their citizens to strictly stay indoors during the ongoing week-long Christmas celebrations in their respective countries due to a new strain of coronavirus but in our state, elected leaders (keeping an eye on the revenue or greed for money) are currently seen allowing all domestic tourists from neighbouring states to essemble in large numbers on the lines of a rock show and negligently allowing them to have a party time on most Goan beaches without even wearing masks or maintaining any social distancing thereby risking the lives of others as well as all the Goans in Goa.
These same politicians have been advising Goans all this while to take precautionary measures by compulsorily wearing masks and maintaining social distancing almost everywhere for their own safety. In fact, they have even put certain restrictions almost everywhere, including on those attending their places of worship and has also been advising Goans to invite limited guests for their family weddings, private parties etc after strictly putting all the SOPs in place in Goa.
Well, the question which I would like to ask our hypocritic politicians is that why are such type of restrictions not implemented against all the domestic tourists for moving around so carelessly despite of the new strain or threat of Coronavirus and hefty fines not imposed against them (which ultimately would have helped them to collect huge revenue for the state) for violating all norms of social distancing almost everywhere, especially on all the prominent beaches of Goa? Are these domestic tourists more special than all our Goans in Goa?
I think that making fast money is more important for most of our current politicians than on taking extra precautions or fighting the new strain of Coronavirus and protecting the health of Goans in Goa. Yes, the show must simply go on and it doesn’t matter even if we Goans are doomed forever due to the misadventures of these most money greedy self-centered politicians of Goa. This is a hard fact about the current political ground situation of Goa and it’s true whether some people like it or not. God alone should therefore save Goans and Goa.
Jerry Fernandes, Saligao
Digital payment of penalties
Challans issued by the men-in-uniform for violating the norms on wearing the face-masks need to be paid in cash. However now many tourists and even locals prefer not to carry cash but make payments through digital mode.
It is learnt many tourists at Colva beach were unable to pay the penalty for not wearing the mask by cash but wanted to clear the fine through Google Pay. They were left with no option but to make the payment through Google Pay to an ice-cream vendor who in turn handed the amount to the cops after the cash transaction was complete.
It must be said that besides cash payment people who have to pay penalty for not wearing the face-mask as also for violations of various traffic rules, need to have the option to make digital payment of the penalty on the spot.
It is pertinent to note that in Kerala in a bid to make enforcement faster, increase transparency and reduce workload of field officers, the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) has rolled out e-challans through point-of-sale (POS) machines for traffic offenders to pay fines. Offenders booked by the enforcement personnel on the roads have the options of making cash payment or swipe their debit/credit cards on the spot for payment of fines.
In Goa, besides being able to pay the penalty for traffic violations, such a payment facility needs to be available to those penalized for not wearing the mask as well.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Disturbing trend
With the tourist season reaching a peak around New Year the hospitality industry is finally earning some revenue but a new disturbing trend is emerging which has the Goan police flummoxed i.e. the tourists themselves carrying drugs for consumption at year end parties to keep their merriment quotient high.
Several raids conducted by the anti-narcotics cell in recent days has brought this to light, as most visitors enter the state in their personal vehicles, detection becomes difficult. Public transport is avoided by such class of tourists due to reasons of Covid and also to escape the attention of the law enforcement authorities. Natural drugs appear to be the intoxicant of choice for local visitors because they are cheaper and also punishment for those found in possession is milder. Drugs like charas and ganja are funnelled in from Karnataka, Jharkhand, UP and Manali by ‘mules’.
Foreign tourists go in for synthetic drugs as the ‘ high’ attained lasts much longer. Also a few tourists become temporary drug peddlers to earn extra money on the side which finances their stay in Goa. This is a worrisome development for a police force which is already stretched at the seams grappling with the drug menace in the state.
It should be nipped in the bud by stricter plainclothes policing and surprise raids at low end accommodation. Concurrently the anti-narcotics laws should be amended to make them harsher so that they act as a deterrent for potential drug pushers.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
