Lost, but still winners
India may have lost the finals of the Champions Trophy, but has won million hearts. Indian players displayed a great brand of hockey. The performance of the team has not suddenly risen, as they have been playing great hockey for the last three years, but now since they appeared in the finals it seems they got more recognition.
Our forward line often makes blistering attacks in the opponent’s arena but falters in scoring. They are required to wear their thinking caps more often and understand their player. They tire themselves, from where opponents take charge. Our defenders are heavily built and do not have control over their bodies, committing many unforced errors inside the circle. Passing inside their own circle proves costly and back passing from opponent’s goal to our 25 yards is not understood. The coach has to take special efforts to overcome these flaws before they start dreaming about medals.
Michael Rodrigues, Utorda
Ruined GCA
The GCA is always in the news for all the wrong reasons. Now three of their top officials are behind bars for graft charges. These were the same people who were part of the GCA when the infamous ticket-gate scandal took place. How do these same people get elected again and again is a million dollar question. GCA should be headed by eminent cricket personalities and upright people who have the love and knowledge of the game and not by people who have never held a bat or ball in their hands. Imagine a state which is at the bottom rungs of the Ranji Trophy and other cricket tournaments but are at the top in graft charges. It’s a shame that not a single Goan except the late Dilip Sardessai (domiciled in Mumbai) has represented India in any form of cricket.
Lucas D’Souza, Verna
Shack policy
The problems with the shack policy seem to never end. The government has now said that they will first hear all stakeholders before coming up with a proper shack policy, which is sensible. But, the beach carrying capacity survey which was meant to be conducted a long time ago is still pending. This is the reason why the private shack owners had to shut shop. The government also wants to crack down on subletting of shacks. But this is not the only issue. In many beaches, shack owners break laws with impunity, letting their sewage off into the sea and even extending the area of their shacks by building concrete structures. They also charge exorbitant amounts and cheat tourists. The shack policy must take a lot of things into consideration. Merely keeping an eye on subletting and a few other things is not enough. The government needs to understand, that for a majority of tourists, the shacks are what make their day. They view Goa as a place to relax on the beach and forget everything else. While we should definitely have shacks, we need to ensure that they do not break laws and they also represent Goa in the best way possible. Don’t just involve shack owners and local stakeholders but also invite a think-tank to come up with new ways to build and promote shacks.
Sanjay Naik, Mapusa
