No red beacons
Give it a thought. The Army on Friday asked civilians to avoid wearing "army-pattern" dresses and shopkeepers to refrain from selling combat clothes, as it issued fresh guidelines to the public to prevent terror attacks. But the Lal Batti brigade have become a bigger security threat. In India if a car with a beacon is stopped by a policeman or security he will be punished or even slapped . The occupants of such cars are on an ego trip and take it as an insult if their car is inspected or checked. It was this very Lal Batti culture that has put the safety of this country in jeopardy. The vehicle that the terrorists shanghaied used this weakness in our system to go through a check post, a toll plaza, unchecked with the police saluting it. It’s about time that the government stops the Lal Batti being used as they are now become a major security threat. If we have to be a security conscious nation then those travelling in Lal Batti cars must submit to checks without exception. Forget their egos. India first!
D C Dias, Taleigao
Risking lives
It is indeed shocking to learn that most residents of Bhutem Vaddo in Cansaulim have to cross a railway track by crawling beneath the coaches of goods and passenger trains parked at the station. It is understood that the villagers which include senior citizens with shopping bags and school children with backpacks among others have been performing this daring act for several years as the construction of a foot overbridge, which can put to an end to the plight of the citizens, is yet to see the light of day. Crossing the railway tracks by crawling beneath the coaches is not only inconvenient but is fraught with danger and is medieval. The foundation stone for the new Zuari bridge, which is to be built at a cost of 3500, crore was recently laid. It is understood that there are plans to construct a viewing gallery on the lines of Eiffel Tower in Paris, atop the new bridge over river Zuari, The viewing gallery will possibly showcase Goa's history and provide a view of the state's natural beauty for visitors. It is shocking to note that in a state which has plans of building a state-of-the-art bridge, people are still forced to cross the railway tracks by crawling under the coaches. The Goa government should take up with the railway authorities the issue of building foot overbridges at all the villages in the state on a priority basis through which the railway track passes. The lives of the citizens cannot be put at risk.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Smart rebranding
The idea of rebranding Goa should have hit industry bigwigs and those in parliament a long time ago. There has been a free-for-all attitude that has chased out most of the loyal British, German and French tourists, while even families from across the country that came down here for holidays have stayed away. Goa has turned into a den of vice and corruption, led by alcohol-fulled binge parties. We may have our Sunburns and Supersonics that draw a lot of people for a few days a year but the state has more to offer than that. Festivals like the Carnival are poorly exploited. The Carnival, Shigmo and other interesting festivals should get government help to expand and become commercially viable.
Sanjay Naik, Mapusa
