Killing wildlife
Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar reportedly told the Goa legislative assembly that it is time that animals that spread diseases, destroy crops and cause a nuisance are described as vermin. Also called as monkey fever, KFD which is a tick-borne viral fever caused by a virus has been detected in some villages in Sattari taluka. It is understood that once the monkey is declared as a ‘vermin’ then authorities can hunt or cull the animal without restriction. The question to be asked is whether it is absolutely necessary to categorize the monkey as a ‘vermin’ when the viral fever is restricted to a few places and can be prevented by vaccination and there have not been any fatalities reported because of the disease. What is essential to get the people who are affected by the viral fever vaccinated to protect them from the disease. It is pertinent to note that animals from the wild like the monkey have entered the villages because their own habitat has been ‘encroached’ by human beings. We need to protect wild life instead of killing them. Culling becomes essential only if the disease is widespread and contagious just as culling of fowl is carried out when there is an outbreak of bird-flu.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Quality for quality
I have been a regular visitor to Goa since 2004. Originally from Tamil Nadu, I now live in Austria. When I first came to Goa I was impressed by the scenery and that touch of European culture. Above all, there was an absence of politicians’ statues, which you find in abundance in Tamil Nadu. I recently read a report in The Goan Everyday about how tourism bigwigs wants Goa rebranded and want high quality tourists to come to the state. Now, when I walk to the beach from my hotel in Cavelossim, I am appalled to see statues on the road, which has no pavement to walk on. There are loose stones on the side of the road and in one place the manhole cover had partly caved in.
I think the government should take the trouble of giving a good impression and take into account the safety of tourists who travel by foot in Goa, if they expect high quality tourists to come here. One has to take lessons from Greece and Turkey to see how they attract high quality tourists. With Egypt and Turkey embroiled in turmoil, Goa stands a good chance of attracting tourists.
Dr Balasubramanyan S, Austria
Coconut gardens
If our ancestral coconut trees are to be protected then the rights of the owners who have generously allowed mundkarial houses such coconut gardens should be free from IX Schedule of the Agricultural Tenancy Act. These are not rice fields but orchards or settlement zones. If the government of Goa wishes to amend the status of the coconut tree as a palm, under the Goa, Daman and Diu Preservation of Trees Act 1984, then it must also amend the Agricultural Tenancy Act, on coconut gardens and permit the owners who had planted them for more than 70 years to receive some income.
Camilo D’Souza, Vagator
