Crime graph is soaring in Goa
Goans cannot understand where Goa which was very peaceful in the past is heading for. There is no law and order in the state. Mostly outsiders come to Goa and do whatever they want and escape. As the home ministry has failed in Goa, the Governor of the State should intervene and try to restore law and order in the state. On daily basis, all over Goa there are murders, threats, assaults, trespassing by force, demolitions of residential houses etc are going on. Nobody is arrested and if arrested released on bail.
Cases like the mysterious deaths of SAG athlete Pratima Gaonkar and Sidhi Naik are still in the cold storage. The Banastarim accident case is also seems to be dumped in the cold storage.
Demolitions of dwelling houses took place first in Caranzalem and now in Assagao. Will these two demolition cases be investigated and real culprits be behind bars?
Murder cases are on the rise at a very fast pace. And some of our policemen are busy going to other jurisdictions, assault women, make them lick their boots. Is this the law and order in Goa? Is home ministry existing? People from other states are coming to Goa, commit murders, trespass, give threats and assault Goans, demolish houses with the help of bouncers without any fear of law and order in Goa. That means anyone can come to Goa, do whatever they want and escape. This shows Goa needs a special status very badly. Can Goa government achieve it?
Natividade Fernandes, Cavelossim
Demolition of houses in monsoon is inhumane
Four houses allegedly at Altinho, Panaji were reportedly demolished by the authorities as per the High Court order. It is learnt that the occupants of these houses protested against the demolition and appealed to the demolition squad to give them at least a few more days, so as to remove their belongings and shift them elsewhere. A video doing the rounds on Social Media shows a senior citizen lady weeping as her house was being demolished. The senior citizen couple said that they were living in the house for forty-five years. All the four houses reportedly had electricity and water connections. According to CCP officials, the occupants were given week’s time to vacate and warned that it would be razed and the cost would be recovered from them. It must be said that it is a most inhumane action on the part of the authorities to demolish the houses in the middle of the rainy season. If at all they were illegal structures, the occupants could have been given more time to vacate the premises. Imagine senior citizens being left in the lurch without a roof over their heads when we are in the midst of the monsoon season. In the past too several demolitions of alleged illegal houses have been carried out in the rainy season. Heavens will not fall if the demolition, if unavoidable, is carried out after the South West monsoon recedes. This will also give sufficient time for the occupants to find an alternate dwelling place.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Decency needed in politics
It isn’t often that I watch the declaration of the UK elections. But I did and so here are some lessons that we can learn from the way that their politicians conduct themselves. Here are a few things that our political alliances can learn:
To be gracious in defeat. The outgoing PM Sunak accepted responsibility for his defeat, calling his opponent before the final tally was announced.
Ministers in the outgoing government also apologized for letting down their voters.
Candidates who won acknowledged the efforts of their staff, and mentioned names publicly. Victory speeches were given without bombast and those who lost did not beat their chests.
Overall, the transfer of power was decent and the politicians spoke about the larger democratic picture. No politician is a saint, and they serve at the pleasure of the people. But if we can avoid rhetoric, empty talk and pompous posturing, we can hopefully inspire new, young and dedicated youngsters to enter politics.
Brian de Souza, Madgaum
Fix responsibility in fatal calamities
River bridges may collapse like a pack of cards from Bihar to Gujarat taking a fatal toll from 1 to 150!
Railway bridges (under construction) can collapse in Mizoram with trains colliding with each other being regular news from Darjeeling district, West Bengal to Bahanaga Bazar, Odisha (around 300 deaths)
Railway footbridges to flyovers (under construction) can take deadly toll from Andheri to Varanasi.
Roof to canopy can collapse in airports from New Delhi Jabalpur to Rajkot.
However, only if any flyover (old or under construction) collapses in Kolkata, it is nothing but a “message from God” to the people to “save Bengal from the Mamata Banerjee government” or the state would be destroyed like the flyover! And of course, the West Bengal government should necessarily be “immediately dissolved” with the state “meriting” President’s rule! However, no such unscientific irrational talks of “God’s message” or demand of President’s Rule when such mishaps happen in states and sectors under the control of BJP !
Instead of targeting the Opposition-ruled states specially West Bengal, the Who’s Who of BJP should take a hard look at the collapsed state of affairs in “double-engine” governed states and Centralised sectors like Railways and airports!
So instead of acting parochial, racial, anti-Bengal and politically vindictive; irrespective of the regime or state where fatal calamities happen, responsibilities need to be fixed and the irresponsible agencies and personnel be awarded exemplary punishment. Else, thanks to the overall callous and corrupt environment prevailing in this self-declared “Mahaan” country, man-made human tragedies of deadly magnitude will continue to plague the nation forever.
Kajal Chatterjee, Kolkata