Who is to blame for traffic mess in Panaji?
Panaji traffic cops trying to take cover about the traffic chaos in the city due to their mismanagement claiming that it has only 59 staff is indefensible. Panaji is a very small city and can be well managed if the cops dutifully perform their duty with honesty and commitment within a well thought out traffic management system and with a zero tolerance to corruption and traffic abuses.
In any task it is not just the number of staff but its proper deployment that matters. Quality always prevails over quantity. In Panaji, the major traffic mayhem is on three of its main roads. Dayanand Bandodkar Marg, 18th June Road and Atmaram Borkar Road. We all know that the traffic cops have conveniently not been acting against some commercial vehicles which are parked on the Dayanand Bandodkar Marg around the clock despite it being a no stopping “ no parking road.
We needed the Andhra Police to step into Goa and guide us to crack the rampant drug trade in our State. Would we need a team of traffic cops from there to cruise into Goa to fix the traffic mess in our capital city? It seems inconceivable that a capital city striving to be a smart city does not have smart city traffic management solutions.
Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar
Are jobs fairs a gimmick?
Whilst I do not want to negate any initiatives to provide employment, I am also aware that this government is great on excessive marketing (at taxpayers expense) with resultant minimum or disproportionately very low results! As per the latest official statistics, Goa is one of the worst states on unemployment as of September at 10.9%, which is more than double the national rate at about 4.2%.
What I think we need is an overall strategic mid-long term plan to address this serious issue with things like job fairs being one of the many things as part of the plan; but here it looks like the job fair is the start all and end all.
Goans must pressure the ministers to deliver real-term gains to the locals instead of hosting job fairs whose benefit to locals is difficult to quantify.
Arwin Mesquita, Colva
Perform or perish, the new government mantra
CM Pramod Sawant needs a thumbs up for his decision to amend the the existing recruitment rules for employment in govt services, making them more competitive, with a minimum of one year experience in private service, and additional qualifications and skills.
The decision to recruit personnel in future only through a Staff Selection Panel of experts, will undoubtedly usher in an era of transparency in the recruitment process and root out out the alleged corruption in the existing system.
Sawant’s frank admission that govt servants do not work, and that around 20% of the govt staff are “under-performing and lethargic” also needs to be commended. Not only do these parasites need to be weeded out, but also forced to take ‘voluntary retirement’ , irrespective of age. The motto ‘ Perform or perish’ should now be the new mantra and overriding and guiding principle in all government institutions, if we are sincere and cherish any hopes of improving the performance in all government institutions.
AF Nazareth, Porvorim
Rules misused by EV bike-makers
It was shocking to read that there are legal provisions that allow certain categories of two-wheelers that are outside the purview of definition of “motor vehicles” that need not have type approval, insurance and mandatory display of number plates. It is not known if the government charges road tax, like for other motorists. The law of not registering such electric vehicles is flawed because in the absence of any documents and if an accident is caused by or to a driver of such electric vehicles, the police may wash off their hands. There will be no scope to obtain compensation or file for insurance claims for the vehicle and the driver.
Now the Centre has urged the States to crack down on EV manufacturers and dealers who are misusing the above ‘specifications’. As per reports, once they obtain the permission from the testing agencies, the vehicles are fitted with batteries of higher capacities. The government needs to come out with a law to mandate registration and insurance for the low powered electric vehicles and also take action on the manufacturers who misuse the law.
Sridhar D’Iyer, Caranzalem
