Letters to the editor

Open letter to 

Chief Minister

It is sad to note that you being elected a Chief Minister of Goa by the people of Goa are not consoling the death caused due to the accident on Siolim-Chopdem bridge on Sunday 16th June 2019. On the contrary you are condemning mob attack that took place in the aftermath of the accident.  Accepted.  Law must not be taken in hand by ordinary citizens.  It must be left to the police and the authority. It is noted that the police arrived on the scene 3 hours later. You, the Honourable CM if so concerned about losing the tourism industry due to bad name created due to this type of incident. Why couldn't you and the Government overhaul the existing mechanism - the Police Department in particular to address accident issues on expedite basis. If the police were to arrive at the accident scene within a few minutes, most probably the hysteria would have been controlled.  And, what happened in the aftermath may not have happened.  

It is sad to note this is the nature of our Governing Persons.  Irrespective of who is running the government, till the time that person is on the opposite side he/she will fire empty explosive words, once they cross the line and become Governing Persons, they transform and become mild ducks and try to threaten subjects on the side once they were standing.  

This imagination of the tourist's utopia causes hurt to the ordinary walk of life Goans. And when it crosses the point of limit, is the time the pendulum swings back and hits the so called rowdy tourists hard.  This is what you are concerned about.  

My suggestion to you put educative sign boards at the Goa border and at various Tourist Spots cautioning all the tourists to behave properly, and respect Goan sentiments.  This could save lot of unnecessary incidents.  It will also save precious Goan lives.Especially the type of death that caused on Siolim-Chopdem bridge due to the (rowdy tourist) being drunk to the brim and driving on the wrong side.  

Agnelo Dias , by email 

Stop dithering 

on GoaMiles

The world respects the elected representatives in a democracy for the sacrifices they render in being ever available to the needs of the people. Their services to the electorate is honoured as long as it is done without any ulterior motive and in particular without paying undue attention to strengthening the vote bank. But sadly, it is often seen that our MLAs demonstrate their prominence by wrongfully aligning with the resentful masses no matter how spiteful the cause is, just to ensure that in the next elections they would be voted to power.

We have seen, not over the years, but over several decades that any plan mooted to install meters in the taxis has been consistently set aside. They just want to ensure that they have the liberty to impose whatever charges that pleases them. They have been contending that they do not overcharge. If that is so, why not have the meters installed and charge the customers based on its readings?

 The GoaMiles taxi service is an initiative of the Goa government to counter the monopoly of the taxi operators. This effort is also opposed by the taxi owners and worse still, the politicians in the southern belt instead of educating them are threatening the government that GoaMiles taxis would not be allowed to ply in their constituencies. Are they intending to run a parallel government and will this action not amount to a sort of separatism?

The argument is that the taxi owners are in this business over the decades. But then change is a way of life. Can the small shop owners challenge the mega-marts, set up and greatly patronised by the people, arguing that their livelihood is hampered? 

Goa is a tourist destination and the tourist inflow crosses the million mark, thereby thoroughly warranting the app-base taxi system. The taxi drivers should be given the option to join the GoaMiles service.

Michael Vaz, Merces

Salute to your

editorial

This is to salute you for your editorial yesterday on the contribution of Dr Juliao Menezes in Goa’s freedom movement. Likewise there are many Dr Juliao Menezes’ ignored either purposedly and or due to the lethargic attitude of the authorities and persons concerned  to investigate correctly and award the deserving ones.  Goan history is recorded not only in books, Newspapers and other such materials but also in tiatros, songs and Zagoors too besides in “Xemaincheo Kannio” and thru stories derived from mouth to mouth.

Dr Lohia gained prominence in Goa only because of Dr Menezes who invited him to be his guest  and to recuperate because during the freedom movement of India he suffered a lot and as such he needed  rest. However, due to circumstances existing then, the time for Portuguese to leave Goa was imperative, peacefully with proper understanding between Goa and Portugal as it was done in Pondichery or Macao, to avoid the chaos we Goans are facing in our Goa now.

The preparation for that historical meet on June 18 was done according to my information, by Dr Menezes and as known then as firebrand  speaker, Dr Lohia was to address this meet. However, before entering the Maidan, he was arrested and sent to the border and deported back.

The Maidan was named in Margao after him without even he stepping in there and moreover his monument was erected there showing him giving his speech.  Is it right to elevate him to that pedestal by ignoring his guide, mentor and guru in Goa Dr Menezes without him he would not be in Goa? Why is the contribution of  Dr Menezes ignored? Was it a conspiracy to downplay the contribution of Goan Christians in Goa’s freedom movement and maliciously to dub them as pro-Portuguese?

A.Veronica Fernandes, Candolim

Police stations ranking

The Home Ministry has kicked off an exercise to rank the country’s best police stations based on various parameters, setting the stage for a competition for better performance of the police personnel. 

Each police station will be assessed on crime prevention, including economic offences and the proactive measures adopted by them, disposal of cases and community policing apart from police station infrastructure along with it’s maintenance and office administration being the other parameters. This is a step in the right direction as it will instill a sense of competitiveness among the various police stations in order to achieve perfection in serving the society. One aspect that could be included in the parameters is the relationship of the police personnel with the citizens. 

It is pertinent to note that there is also a ranking system for railway station in the country as regards to cleanliness and other parameters. It would be in the fitness of things for the state government to also rank the police stations in their respective states based on their performance. 

Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco

UP fitter for Delhi

 rule than Bengal

The BJP meddling in Bengal over the issues of the recent political killings there seems to be misplaced since UP seems to be the better candidate for President's rule. 

While in Bengal it is only the fights between the TMC and the BJP akin to the RSS-CPM fights in the Malabar region of Kerala, though the Bengal problem has not risen to that level of intensity and severity, in UP there does not seem to be any law and order across the entire State with rape, murder and killings including that of an infant lately. 

Thus if the Centre wants to impose President's rule anywhere it should be first in UP and then any other State including Bengal.

Srinivas Kamat, Alto-St Cruz