SUNDAY, 20 SEPTEMBER 2026

Porvorim oil bomb

The Porvorim police are literally sitting on a time bomb. Seventy barrels of oil, which were seized in 2008 have sprung leaks and the contents are oozing out. The health and electricity departments have come to the conclusion that the presence of the barrels is a hazard and a fire threat respectively. Yet nothing was done because a case is underway and given the speed at which the wheel of justice moves, some more years could pass before the oil is siphoned out. Moving the barrels is a problem at this stage because no one knows for sure if they are strong enough to be shifted. Eight years in the rain and sunshine have corroded the barrels to a point where they are quite literally crumbling. There is a serious threat of oil seeping into the water sump and some action ought to be taken before that happens. One does not have to produce all 70 barrels in court as evidence. What the police needs to prove is that the barrels were seized and the nature of the contents, which can be easily accomplished without storing them in the open. The matter must be dealt with the urgency it requires.

SHARE ON

Half-an-effort

Total ban on child labour could make poor families more vulnerable

Published Jul 28, 2016, 12:00 AM IST
SHARE ON

Parliament has passed a law that bans employment of children up to the age of 14 in any commercial enterprise and stipulates that children aged between 14 and 18 cannot be employed in hazardous occupations. The earlier law allowed employment of children below the age of 14 only in non-hazardous occupations. On the face of it, the ban seems like a law that will remove children from the workforce and put them in school, where they belong. In reality, the situation could get…

READ MORE

Keep Reading — More from EDITORIAL

3 more related stories queued · tap to continue reading

Home HOME News GOA NEWS Global GLOBAL GOENKAR Search SEARCH