Letters to the Editor (09 December 2021)

Success of people of Indian descent

This refers to the report “USAF Doctor of Indian Descent Chosen as Astronaut” (Herald, December 8). Another personality of Indian origin is making headlines. Anil Menon, a physicist and lieutenant colonel at the US Air Force Base, has been selected by NASA along with nine other people as astronauts for future space missions. What does it do, great, surely! After all, he is of Indian descent, which makes him important internationally, but from a foreign country.

How we love to rejoice in such news and we go gaga, praising and glorifying such personalities of Indian origin. Just recently we had an Indian-born cricketer Ajaz Patel who was successful in New Zealand. His ten wicket run in the recent test match was a perfect 10. So, is it a great moment for us Indians when we learn of such achievements by people of Indian descent, who have become famous, settled in Western countries? ?

Today we have such individuals of Indian origin running large companies and so on. Let us stop thinking, why is it that our compatriots manage to succeed in another country? Nothing comes easy. It’s hard work that pays off in the western world. It seems that talent and hard work pay no dividends in our country! As we said, a prophet is never accepted in his own country!

Melville X D’Souza, Mumbai

Wear your masks correctly

Numerous media say that Omicron is rapidly becoming the dominant variant of the coronavirus, with a few cases now being detected in India and it is even more important now to introduce the booster dose, as 30 other countries have done, to prevent further epidemics and loss of life.

It is known that people wear chin masks and do not cover their nose and mouth properly. Such reckless behavior will only increase the cases of Corona. Better to be safe than to be sorry later because the coronavirus is a highly contagious disease and spreads quickly.

Jubel D’Cruz, Mumbai

Authorities complicit in an “envirocide”

For days, residents of Calangute complained about the large-scale clearing of beachside vegetation on private property, but authorities apparently turned a blind eye to the proceedings; Videos of hacked trees in broad daylight and flattened sand dunes have been circulating on social media platforms for some time now. This is done barely 50 meters from the beach on sand dunes which are in the CRZ non-development zone.

In another case, an illegal road is under construction just 20 meters away. from the high tide line to provide access to a residential bungalow. The panchayat and government are either too busy with elections or facilitating illegality for a “convenience fee.”

Additionally, official demolition orders have yet to be served for the Old Goa bungalow near St Cajetan Church, which violates every imaginable statute of the Heritage Zone guidelines. That private parties engaged in Goa’s “envirocide” with such impunity clearly shows that our elected representatives are fully complicit in these murky cases. It won’t be too long before we look at a Go, Goahhhhh, Gone storyline. Mourn my beloved state.

Rekha Sarin, Benaulim

Paralyzing plague

Corruption is a global scourge that affects different strata of the nation. Almost five percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) of developing countries is drowned by the threat of corruption. The developed nations are teetering under the onslaught of the corrupt ways of their people and institutions.

Education, health, economy, justice and the rule of law are just a few of the spheres of nations that have collapsed under the weight of corruption. It is common knowledge that government corruption is extremely damaging to the growth of people as healthy and prosperous citizens.

It has also crushed the development of nations due to the fall of governments due to corruption scandals. As American author John Steinbeck said, it is not only power that corrupts, but the fear of losing power that eats away at the corrupt.

It can be sad that power does not corrupt people, but people corrupt power. The fight against corruption must be part of the culture. The people who elect corrupt politicians are not victims, but they are in fact accomplices in crime. In fact, these are unchallenged privileges that arouse moral and intellectual dishonesty.

Although bribery is a chronic problem, offering a bribe is not considered such. This in itself is a statement because since there are bribe givers ready, so there are a lot of bribes receivers. The revolution must come from within. When many like-minded citizens unite for a cause, change may not be around the corner; but the change may appear sooner than expected. Youth has an important role to play as a catalyst for change because it is an age when the mind is generally free from corrupted ideas.

Ganapathi Bhat, Akola

Obey traffic rules and maintain the roads

Lack of respect for traffic rules and regulations is the most common cause of major road accidents in Goa and throughout the country. Lack of road maintenance and poor road construction compound the problems. Potholes on all roads, including village roads and highways, are common, as in June all roads are washed away and the roads are not suitable for traffic. These roads go unattended for months and often become deadly traps.

The traffic administration sends its staff to the roads to challange motorcycles and other vehicles, but how many of these government officials have blamed contractors for shoddy work or fined them, the only reason is corruption from bottom to top. When bidding for the works, the government should insert a clause that if there are potholes on the roads within a year, it should be required to repair the roads. at once. Often times, trenches are dug for utility lines, without barricades or proper warning strips, which should be a must for contractors, otherwise there is a risk of loss of life.

Diomedes Pereira, Corlim

Fee exemption for traditional sellers

In a gesture that will relieve the sellers of traditional stands, we learn that these sellers will not have to pay the fees of the Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) during the feast of Panjim of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. Non-traditional stands were charged Rs 3,000 per CCP for the duration. Traditional stalls selling Goan products like roasted grams and ‘Khaje’, also known as ‘kadio-bodio’, are allowed to operate for free. It is understood that these stalls have been exempt from paying fees due to the challenges they faced during the last two lockdowns and the pandemic. This is a step in the right direction and could be implemented in the parishes where the holiday is celebrated today such as the Church of the Holy Spirit in Margao and two rural parishes of Calangute and Moira in Bardez for the period of the fair.

Recall that Goa received its 5th Geographical Indication (GI) in July 2020 for the traditional local sweet dish called Khaje. Khaje has been granted a GI tag under Class 30 of the GI Act. The Bicholim-based Goa Khaje Producers Association (AGKPA) applied for the IG label of Khaje through the Goa Government’s Department of Science and Technology in 2019. All civic and panchayat organizations could follow this CCP decision. and exempt vendors from fees over the coming year as a fair is held in their respective jurisdiction.

Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco