Helipad protest
So it’s another protest, this time against the Sinquerim hill being used as a helipad. We do not know what it would be like if a few helicopters landed there every day but surely this is not going to be turned into an airport-like atmosphere? A helicopter ride is not an inexpensive proposition, so it’s not like there will be hundreds of journeys undertaken every day. The claims that the fort will be affected by the vibrations also seem like an implausible excuse. Having said all that, the hill has a large concentration of peacocks, who might get frightened away by the helicopters. Perhaps the residents might get disturbed too. But before a project is started, or a protest stops it, perhaps the government can engage in dialogue and prove to the leaders that they will work towards maintaining some sort of decorum and eco-friendly practices there? Otherwise, this will just be a good move shut down by a few selfish minds. We cannot be opposing any sort of move by the government to boost tourism, just for the sake of it.
Shawn Remedios, Panaji
Unnecessary fighting
The tussle on facebook and in courts between a prominent lawyer activist and one of Goa’s famous singers has taken another turn with the lawyer activist being accused of having Portuguese citizenship. He had earlier made a big hue and cry over the singer’s change of domicile and citizenship. Without attempting to take sides in this matter, I do not see why anyone’s citizenship has to come into play here. The actual matter is the accident and what really happened in the hospital between the victim and the singer. The truth has to come out. If the singer is responsible for verbal abuse and his son for the accident, then pull them up. If all those stories are false and the lawyer and the victim have lied them penalize them. But filing cases and fighting over things like citizenship just trivialise the entire episode and shame us Goans in the bargain. Hopefully, good sense will prevail sometime.
Sankalp Raikar, Porvorim
Justice served
The death sentences pronounced in the Kamduni rape spell hope for victims of rape. There is probably someone getting raped every day in this country and it’s time the authorities took these incidents seriously. The fact that the court has now decided to sentence some rapists to death might just serve as a deterrent to some. But there are others who will bank on an indifferent society as well as the police force, who often disregard complaints as a domestic fight or a ‘transaction gone wrong’. This verdict will give those who fight for justice a boost and perhaps NGOs and others can come together to campaign for better laws when it comes to rape. We need to be more vigilant and sensitive as a society. Even in Goa, as much as we are educated and forward-thinking, there is a section of society that will sweep incidents of rape under the carpet. Mindsets have to be changed before anything.
Insia Mendonca, Fatorda
