Bad systems
This is with reference to Panaji is 16th among 73 in clean city list’ ( The Goan Everyday, Feb 16). After having failed to find a place in the first list of top 20 cities to be developed under the Centre’s ‘Smart City’ project, Panaji is now ranked 16th among the 73 cities surveyed under the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ for cleanliness and sanitation. Once more, it is the city’s poor public hygiene and sanitation that have cost the city its top slot. The problems of garbage collection, disposal and waste treatment have still not been solved and apparently outside the pale of the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP). No one but the CCP is to blame for the pathetic state of affairs which continues to dog the residents and the visitors to the city and turned this once beautiful city into a public eye sore. Residents today are not hopeful of future development and have painted a very dismal picture of the city, even though the mood among rival panels is upbeat and all stops pulled out to seize control of the CCP administration in the forthcoming CCP elections.
A F Nazareth, Porvorim
Clogging the rivers
The River Chapora is today destined to go the same way as River Mandovi; wherein floating vessels are used for commercial purposes. It was heartening to note that the Chairman of the Goa State Pollution Control Board, Jose Manuel Noronha, with the support of then Minister of Environment Alina Saldanha, had stalled the introduction of marina complexes in the Zuari. Since 2014 that the Department of Environment and Pollution Control Board had strongly recommended that no more floating vessels would be allowed unless and until a full environment impact assessment report together with the sustainability and the holding capacities of our rivers is studied. But alas, the present government seems to be introducing more floating vessels in the rivers of North Goa. Interestingly neither the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) nor Goa State Biodiversity Board (GSBB) has granted permission and the consent to operate to these new introductions in river Mandovi and Chapora respectively.
Stephen Dias, Dona Paula
Right wing terror
The rate at which students and other young mind who dare to oppose the government are being imprisoned and oppressed for their words and actions is alarming. This is only stopping short of murder, like what happened to the bloggers in Bangladesh. What was said at the JNU protest rally wasn’t exactly right, but to arrest the head of the students body without adequate proof that he was the one who shouted anti-India statements is sad. The ABVP has now caused a lot of trouble, in the Rohit Vemula case, the JNU case and others. Why is this happening and how does India stop this? The BJP government have a few more years before elections are held again, will the situation get worse by then, or will something happen to stop this? This fanaticism is scary.
Bhushan Kamat, Miramar
