Power loss
The recent power shutdown for 6 hours on Saturday May 28 for annual maintenance work at the Porvorim sub-station which affected more than 30,000 consumers in six panchayat areas and surrounding areas of Porvorim, bringing business and life to a virtual standstill , is something unheard of by people living in large cities. I have lived all my life in Mumbai except for the past few years, but have never experienced a power shutdown or power failure or monthly and annual power shut down for maintenance, as it happens in Goa. And whoever heard of voltage stabilizers and inverters and power outages even in the peak of summer when power consumption is maximum. It is a pity that even after six decades, Goa still lags far behind other cities in meeting the shortfall of power and the need to strengthen its weak electrical distribution system. For how long are we going to depend on neighbour states for our power requirements? Even the foreigners are laughing at us even as it become difficult to understand how people in Goa do business in such a dismal scenario.
A F Nazareth, Porvorim
Political void
The high profile entry of Aam Aadmi Party in Goa has put the ordinary man faithful over the years to the Congress and the BJP in a quandary. The dedicated approach of the AAP workers, against all odds, needs to be commended at a time when both the national parties are considered egoistic. The Congress Party is still to recover from its 2012 elections drubbing due to its policies and aged leaders in Goa only interested in their own matters rather than of the party or the people of Goa. The BJP under the Parsekar seems to have taken the people for granted due to their brute majority and unconditional support by the Salcete MLAs. Their autocratic attitude displayed even in the Assembly has forced even their sympathisers and followers to rethink their strategy for 2016. The Goa Forward Party still needs to connect with the people to know their feelings rather than concentrating only on exploiting issues with the aid of media. The GVP seems to be a one man show and in the past five years their performance has never impressed the people in Nuvem or in Benaulim. The present political situation in Goa has given more material for the Aam Aadmi Party to fill in the void created by the belligerent attitude of BJP, Congress and the GVP.
Alwyn Jorge, Carmona
Primary learning
The urge for adopting mother tongue as a medium of instruction is restricted to primary education alone, not beyond it. Just as mother’s milk is best suited for a child, the mother tongue is best suited as the medium for a child to learn. In fact primary education through mother tongue is a universally accepted principle. A child, as it grows up, consumes several other foods. Similarly young ones would not find difficulty in acquiring knowledge at secondary level of education if the medium therin is not their mother tongue. Besides, in our state, English is taught as one subject in primary schools wherein the medium is not English. Obviously, this does facilitate students while learning at higher level wherein the medium is English.
Pradeep Lawande, Sanquelim
