Dumping of mud
and coconut trees
Citizen Melwyn Dias, by email
I have observed that mud and coconut trees have been dumped in front of the Cuncolim bus stand for a stretch of about 50 meters. The concerned authorities turn a blind eye to it and it has been found in the same spot for the last ten days.
Unplanned work at
Cuncolim
Citizen Joel Morais, Cuncolim
The concerned authorities dug the road going to the Cuncolim Municipal Council touching the NH17 in the heart of the village, just a day before the reopening of schools, to clean the drain and for other reasons best known to them. This is causing severe inconvenience to school children. The cleaning of the drain is very much required but it looks like the concerned authorities suddenly got up and realized about the said work. Luckily the monsoon did not strike on time. Also no sign boards are displayed at required locations. Such issues occur when illiterates run the business.
Unjust electricity bill
– closed premises
Citizen Peter Cabral, Margao
I read in your paper some days back how a consumer had to pay minimum charges even though his consumption was less. In my case the premises is closed and the same was verified by the electricity department after which I was permitted to one year’s bill estimate in advance which was “Fixed charges of Rs.97/- and meter rent of Rs.16/- . However in the bill dated 27/05/2015 I was shocked to find Energy charges Rs.360/- in addition to the above two charges. I went to the electricity billing department to ask them and was told that from now on, in spite of the premises being closed I will have to pay the energy charges every month. This is injustice to me and to all who have their premises closed. Can we not get justice?
Picnics and a mess
Citizen Agnelo Fernandes, Calangute
Come Summer, Autumn, Spring, Winter or whatever season, it is always a reason to picnic. More so in Goa, where we get non-Indian tourists, who are overall on a well behaved picnic in Goa for the whole duration of their stay in our Rome-of-the-East (as it is called – Roma Udentichem). Well behaved I say because their overall behaviour is being decent in everything they do, even disposing off their garbage. They look for bins, carry their own waste to dump in designated places, etc.
Come summer, our own brothers and sisters from Goa and of course, from the other states of our motherland move around Goa, looking for spots to picnic at. I have just finished watching a video of a picnic spot at Sal Dam, where the picnickers were moving into the water with beer bottles, some on the banks of the river, having their beer from cans and then just throwing away the cans among the bushes. The bottles were also disposed of similarly. There is a chance that some of them may break and broken pieces may find their way on to the river bed. Who will clean up their mess after they leave the spot? Any paid personnel there to do this job? Why can’t we just learn to pack up our trash and bring it back and dispose of it where it is supposed to be disposed? When will we change, and at what cost? Or like we always do, are we waiting for a disaster to happen to then repent?
Another spot I have noticed non-Goan tourists camping at is in front of the Calangute Church. They drive their cars down from the roads into the fields, park the cars and themselves too, cook, eat, drink alcohol, use the area as an open toilet, litter, leave all the garbage behind, and return to their state. Do we need these tourists here who just come for cheap liquor? They do no business with our hotels and restaurants because they sleep in the open, under the moon and stars, bring their raw material for cooking, do their thing and then leave the mess for us Goans to clean?
No ministry/authority in Goa has the savvy to stop this mess that is going on. We were told by our top bureaucrat sometime last year – “They are our guests, we must be good hosts to them”. And that we are doing Sir, following your instructions very religiously. God Bless Goa and Goans.
High mast lighting
necessary at Vasco
Church Square
Citizen Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
The road junction at the St. Andrew’s church square in Vasco happens to be the busiest junction in the Port Town. Vehicles entering the city and those leaving it have to pass through this junction. The road leading to Mangor hill is also connected to this intersection. It must be said that this important junction is very poorly illuminated. It thus becomes difficult for road-users to drive here at dusk. Several accidents have also occurred on this road and one of the reasons could be poor illumination of the road here. It seems absolutely necessary to install high-mast lighting at this junction. This will go a long way in providing proper lighting at this busy road intersection.
Why only 2-wheelers
Citizen Crispino Faria, Chicalim
I am a resident of Chicalim and mostly transit to Vasco city. On the Chicalim circle, I always see traffic police keeping a watch on the traffic. What annoys me is that these cops are only after 2 wheeler riders for not wearing a helmet. In front of their eyes, there are many other traffic violations taking place but they overlook them.
1) On 6 June 2015, a KTC bus at around 1840hrs was dropping passengers ahead of the bus stop where it should have stopped. The position was critical as vehicles coming behind and vehicles coming from Vasco (slope) were at danger of causing an accident. Secondly its tail lights were not working which is necessary when the bus applies its breaks.
2. Many KTC buses create a lot of air pollution. They emit a thick black smoke but no traffic cops fines them. Why?
3. Trucks and trailers coming into the city create a lot of nuisance. Many among them are heavily loaded, more than they should legally carry and others tail lights never function. Who fines them?
4. City buses (mostly of Birla, New Vaddem) stop in the middle of the road to offload/onload passengers. They drive recklessly, sometimes as slow as a road roller and sometimes more than 50km/hr. (30km/hr city limits). If this is not enough they over take from the wrong side (my car once near GSL). Why are these buses not fined?
5. On the highway connecting the airport and Verna, I see many speeding empty trucks driving on both the fast and slow lanes and shifting lanes without indication. To add to it, their tail lights don’t work at all. Are they ever fined?
ONLY 2 wheeler riders are fined for not wearing helmet. If you have a helmet, then your license will be checked. If you have that, then pollution under control certificate. They will find a reason to fine you. The ones who are actually violating the traffic rules are ignored.
Mess on Dabolim
airport road
Citizen Saturnino Rodrigues,
by email
I had been to Dabolim a few days ago, thought of passing the Old Airport road at Zuarinagar. It was a pathetic sight with garbage strewn everywhere and birds and cattle feeding on it.
