Is the fire tragedy not
akin to terrorism?
For the Delhiwalla it is, “Goa Mein Sab Kuch Chalta Hai”; for the Goans it is “Bhivpachi Garaj Na”.
In Assagao, the wife of a senior Intelligence Officer allegedly used bouncers to evict a tenant. In Old Goa, the husband of a spokesperson of a party built a bungalow in a UNESCO heritage zone. 26 citizens lost their lives because of the Pahalgam terror attack. The nation was baying for blood. Were we numbed because of the deaths of Indian citizens or because these deaths were caused by Pakistan?
25 deaths in the Goa club fire, and we are not moved in the same manner. Is it because the deaths were caused by an inefficient government that we support? Is this not government terrorism? We can conclude that citizens’ deaths don’t matter. Who is responsible for these deaths is what matters! Uri, Pulwama, Pahalgam et al — did anyone take responsibility and resign? No! That is the arrogance of numbers. It is the national pattern. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Finally, the message to law-abiding citizens is that the law is malleable, and the principles of justice are not just flexible, they simply don’t apply universally. As long as one has the right connections, the suitcase of the right weight and the same ideology, there is no saying what one can get away with.
D C Dias, Taleigao
Govt wakes up only
after tragedies
My deepest sympathies to the bereaved families who lost their dear ones at the Birch Romeo Lane at Arpora. The blame game is on a few suspended officers who will be cleared from all wrongdoing and will get back their pay once declared not guilty. Till then, they will have no problem, as the wealth amassed in black for such dubious NOCs will be useful during the pending inquiry. The TCP/DoP/Fire/Health/FDA/Panchayat/GSPCB/Tourism/PWD/Electricity — all are part of illegalities in Goa, especially when it comes to running tourism establishments. It’s big money, and even the Sarpanch of Arpora has said it.
The government acts only when death takes place: Words of sympathy followed by a meagre compensation, and then the drama begins all over again. Till then, all the officials of the Department cannot see anything but will ask you to first complain so that they can get their bounty bags. Citizens and NGOs are labelled as people who do not want development; only politicians from the ruling parties are patriotic and work for nation-building. This is how the karyakartas are silenced, and they think corruption, robberies, murderers and terrorism are the fallout from minority citizens in this country.
It’s high time people decide to vote wisely for good governance, and a healthy opposition is best for democracy, while double engines working on single-lane railway tracks are nothing but corruption routes for disasters if not kept in check. It took 30 minutes for the fire fighters to reach the scene, and it took equally fast for Indigo to reschedule their flights to charter out the Luthra Brothers to Phuket, while the Police should have alerted all the airport security, but nothing happened.
Gregory D’Souza, Siolim
Arpora Club fire is an eye-opener
The devastating fire incident that took place at a nightclub in Arpora, which unfortunately claimed the lives of 25 people, once again brings to focus the importance of following fire-safety norms at crowded places. The Serendipity Arts Festival returns to Panjim from December 12–21 with its landmark tenth edition. The festival attracts thousands of art lovers in the fields of music, dance, visual arts, craft, etc.
A fire reportedly broke out on Monday evening at a stage under preparation for the festival at the Kala Academy in Campal. Sparks from ongoing welding works are suspected to have ignited flammable foam of an installation. Fortunately, workers immediately attempted to douse the rapidly spreading flames. It may be recalled that there was a stage fire at the Inox premises during the Serendipity Arts Festival of 2024.
When there is a large crowd in one place, a fire can quickly turn into a disaster if proper safety measures are not in place. Fire-safety norms primarily focus on preventing overcrowding, ensuring clear and sufficient exit routes, and having functional fire-detection and extinguishing systems. Exit points should facilitate a smooth flow of people during evacuation and prevent stampedes. Installation of fire-detection and alarm systems is mandatory. Appropriate firefighting equipment, such as fire extinguishers and sprinkler systems, should be strategically placed and easily accessible.
Adelmo Fernandes,
Vasco
