Order judicial probe in cash-for-jobs scam
Pooja Naik, the main accused in the cash-for-jobs scam, has spilled the beans naming a senior cabinet minister, an IAS officer and a top PWD official as being the part of the racket. Will Chief Minister Pramod Sawant remove minister from the cabinet, or will he continue to retain him despite these serious allegations made by the prime accused? Naik has also publicly claimed that she was repeatedly summoned to the crime branch office, made to wait for hours without purpose, and that no meaningful investigation was being carried out. These are troubling allegations that warrant attention. It increasingly appears that the government may be shielding those named in the scam. If the Chief Minister is truly committed to uncovering the full truth behind this scam, he should demonstrate political will by constituting a judicial commission of inquiry headed by a retired High Court judge. Only an independent investigation can ensure transparency and prevent any perception that the crime branch is being quietly guided to wind down the case.
Jerry Fernandes, Saligao
Mandate for BLOs
The special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Goa has started. As per the instructions of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), a booth level officer (BLO) should visit every household in his/her jurisdiction, verify entries in the existing roll, distribute and collect forms from electors, assist the voters to fill up forms correctly and submit the filled up forms to the electoral registration officer. I live in a gated community in Caranzalem. The housing society has about 250 apartments. A notice was put up on the WhatsApp group of our society by the secretary that the BLO would be available in the society’s club house between 10 am and 12 noon on November 8, and that residents should collect their enumeration forms for the SIR exercise from the BLO “to avoid deletion”. The instructions of the CEC mentioned above had to be brought to the notice of all residents to enable them to insist on the visit of the BLO to their apartments for doing the needful. BLOs should not be allowed to adopt shortcut procedures to reduce their work. Voters need to be aware of their responsibilities and be alert to protect their rights.
Aravind Bhatikar, Caranzalem
On open-air IFFI screenings
Film buffs are keenly looking forward to the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) which be held in Goa from November 20 to 28. Films would be screened at several locations in Panaji, Porvorim, and Margao. There is a proposal to have open-air screening of movies on Miramar and Anjuna beaches and Ravindra Bhavan, Fatorda. In the background of the car bomb blast near Red Fort, in New Delhi and the National Security Act being in force in Goa for three months from November 5, the government must not go ahead with the open-air screening of movies. This precautionary measure would be safe and prudent and stop unruly elements from harassing others.
Sridhar D Iyer, Caranzalem
Public safety concerns
A major mishap was averted on the Dabolim airport road when a set of steel TMT bars being used for bridge pillar construction suddenly fell onto a moving KTC bus causing damage to the vehicle. Luckily, no injuries were reported to passengers. However, if the set of steel bars had to fall on a car or any small vehicle, the outcome could have been much worse. This is not the first time such an incident has occurred in Goa. These recurring incidents have sparked significant public safety concerns and demands for immediate action from local authorities. It is necessary to keep the public away from the construction area in order to prevent accidents, especially where heavy equipment is being used for excavation, pile driving, and concrete pouring. This allows construction workers to work more efficiently without having to constantly halt work to allow traffic to pass. Roads where overhead construction is in progress need to be temporarily closed. There needs to be alternative routes to guide drivers around the closed section of the road.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Educated terrorists
Following the car explosion near the historic Red Fort in New Delhi, a new coinage of ‘white-collar terrorism’ is dominating the public space. Perhaps those elements have not heard of the names and qualifications of Osama Bin Ladens and Afzal Gurus! Their surprised reactions seem to suggest that only blue/black collared folks can indulge in terrorism and nefarious activities. Nothing can be more ridiculous, retarding and class-sensitive than this. Actually far from being ‘educated’, the elements who feel no qualms in killing innocents to pursue their goals out of genuine or imagined grievances are merely achievers of high degrees from universities. There is absolutely no relationship between academic certificate/degree with ‘education’. Only a humanitarian can be called educated, nobody else. Mere academic degree hardly serves the moral fabric of the society or enlightens one’s mindset and viewpoint.
Kajal Chatterjee, Kolkata
