RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat off and on comes out with his ‘pearls of wisdom’. Of late he has said that the government must consider reviewing the 66(A) IT Act because netizens are mounting scathing attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Does his argument hold any ground when the Supreme Court has clearly stated that the Act infringes on the freedom of expression of citizens. Bhagwat, to say the least, is now acting as an extra-constitutional authority and is hell bent on curbing the citizens’ freedom in venting their criticism against leaders whom they feel have back-tracked on their promises. This just cannot happen in a vibrant democracy like India. Did not the same man use his right to criticize the most adorable Mother Teresa, though what he said was simply diametrically opposite of what the Nobel Laureate was in her life?
Placid Edmunds, Mapusa
—
Info commission website fails to keep pace
The RTI activists in the State of Goa and the public spirited citizens here have been rightly demanding the appointment of a State Chief Information Commissioner, State Information Commissioners and Lokayukta soon. I visited the Goa State Information Commission Website on April 1 and was surprised to see it updated.
Although former State CIC Leena Mehandale’s term ended months ago, she is still depicted as the State CIC on the website http://goasic.gov.in/. Although the office of the Commission has been shifted to a more convenient premise, the website still gives the ‘office address’ as Shram Shakti Bhawan, Patto- Panjim. This is a matter of shame for the State RTI Commission.
R Samsons, Margao
Film festival organizers should be thoughtful
It is a welcome step that the Goa State Film Festival is being resurrected after a gap of six years. But deciding the dates keeping in mind the religious sentiments of the Catholic community in Goa would have been better. The IFFI dates clashing with the Novenas of St Xavier has always been as issue. Due to the hectic international schedule of film festivals and the busy schedule of the film fraternity, it is difficult indeed to reschedule the dates of IFFI. If security measures are met with at the Novenas, I see no reason to oppose dates of IFFI. But since the State Festival is a largely domestic affair, it would have been thoughtful of the organisers to pay heed to the occasions such as Good Friday, Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday. While these dates cannot be changed now, I hope that the State Film festival next year will be held at a more appropriate time.
B S Singh, Margao
The road to destruction
The Margao Municipal Council has been very active over the past several months — playing merry-go-round. For years, Margao city has been seeking solutions to burning issues: garbage collection and disposal, parking and water logging. But representatives elected to the council have been busy playing merry-go-round with regards to the leadership. It is high time our greedy and self-centered councillors (and the devious politicians supporting them) concentrate on working for the betterment of the city instead of squabbling among themselves to get to the top. Also, more citizens of Margao should come out in support of the people’s movement started by Adv Rajiv Gomes, Cedric Da Costa and other like-minded citizens, to stop the corruption that is destroying the city.
Willie Severes, Majorda
Expedite appointment of judges
There is undue delay in appointment of Judges. The posts were advertised last April. There have been no judges in several courts, both in Mapusa and Margao for the last six months. The Judicial Infrastructure is woefully inadequate and the delay in Justice is a regular feature in all BJP ruled states for obvious reasons.
Adolf Pinto, by email
