DRAIN COVERS IN SMART PANJIM MAKEOVER!

ARE these drain covers? Take a look at the kind of drain covers they’re laid down all over the city. What a shame for the CCP and its contractors, the drain cover in picture is in front of the popular Hotel Navtara where aam aadmi goes in and out all day long. But this dangerous broken drain cover does not merit repairs in the eyes of the CCP/PWD authorities who cruise around city in their fancy limousines deaf, dumb and blind to the state of the roadwork. Our alert photographer Stephen Dias took this picture on May 8, 2024.

TREE CUTTING IN FULL SWING IN TALEIGAO

THE people of Taleigao who care should come out and see how rampant tree cutting down of a century old rain trees is happening in Taleigao. This, despite community protests here. The date is May 23, 2024 and the location Taleigao village, Santismao Vaddo. Here in blatant misuse of power, the mamladar and police inspector (PI) of Panjim Police side with an individual attempting to illegally fell rain trees in Taleigao.
Representatives of Mohammed Faizel Shah alias Faizal Mohammed Shah, co-owner survey no 188/4, attempted to cut down a tree on a neighboring plot not under his ownership. Furthermore, a second tree in Mr Shah’s property could not be legally felled as it required No Objection Certificate from the other co-owners, including PWD III Panaji, the Executive Engineer of WD III and the government of Goa, none of whom had provided consent.
It is vigilant citizens who intervened and contacted the police, presenting clear evidence that one tree was not on Shah’s property and the provided survey number was incorrect. Shockingly, the police dismissed this evidence and insisted the citizens could not prevent the tree cutting. The situation escalated dramatically with the arrival of the mamladar accompanied by several police officers.
Instead of upholding the law these authorities sided with the tree-cutting party, demanding that the citizens provide proof to justify why the tree should not be cut down. The overwhelming presence of the law enforcement created intimidating atmosphere, attempting to silence the community’s rightful protest. Their persistence delayed the tree cutting long enough for a representative from the Forest Department to arrive with a stay order.
However, sources within the Forest Department have revealed that pressure has been applied to revoke the stay order. However, the perpetrators will attempt cutting the tree again…and again and soon Taleigao will cease to exist as a semi-agricultural suburb of capital city Panaji. Something which offers valuable public spaces full of trees so that people may live in peace and breathe in clean air provided by…yes, trees.
­—Cecile Rodariguez, Taleigao

WILL NEW CRIMINAL LAWS EASE POLICE FUNCTIONING?
THE statement by the IGP of Goa Omvir Singh Bishnoi that the three new laws set to come into force form July 1, 2024 will ensure the police will not tamper with evidence needs to be taken with a pinch of salt.
For one thing, law and order is a state subject under the Constitution and so whichever government comes o tower in any state, the police will continue to be partisan because well, they do take orders from corrupt politicians, although IGP Omvir Singh Bishnoi will deny this. As the second in command of the Goa Police, he has to defend his force which contain some rotten apples.
Police officers are theoretically supposed to take orders only from the DGP who is the topmost police officer in Goa. But theory and practice are as different from each other as chalk from cheese.
The Hathras incident in Uttar Pradesh where the body of the girl was cremated at night, thereby destroying vital evidence for the courts, is just one of thousands of cases. I have personally complained to the former Dy IGP Aslam Khan against the former Dy SP (now SP in charge of VIP security) Kiran Poduval who allegedly planned a false FIR against me after I was brutally beaten up by goons and a mob of owners of illegal houses at Salvador do Mundo on September 27, 2018. To date no action has been taken.
The point is whether the new laws will make it difficult for the Goa police to frame an innocent person or not? A cunning police officer will find a loophole to incriminate a gullible complainant in a false crime. Apart from this there is no doubt that the new law, which makes it compulsory for the complainant and accused to be video recorded while giving their statements, will help. But it is possible to offer blandishments or threats to witnesses before their statements are recorded!
IGP Omvir Singh Bishnoi has told me that he would look into my complaint against his subordinate only after the elections. The question remains, will the new criminal laws ease police functioning and will police chief be able to get rid of corrupt policemen given the reality of politician-police nexus?
—Dr Olav Albuquerque, advocate, Mumbai

CHILDHOOD VACCINE SCHEDULE, USA!
I WOULD like to share this bit of interesting news from the USA about childhood vaccines leading to greatest decline in public health in human history.
The story at a glance is that at a US Senate roundtable discussion hosted by Senator Ron Johnson, tackled a taboo topic –why public health agencies have not studied the health outcomes of vaccinated versus unvaccinated children. In 1962, children received just five vaccine doses. As of 2023, children up to age 18 receive 73 doses of 16 different vaccines; the cumulative effects of this childhood vaccine schedule have never been tested. Research shows vaccinated children experienced significantly higher instances of various health issues, including allergies, asthma, behavioral issues and gastroenteritis.
The 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act requires the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to report on vaccine safety every two years, but the agency has “never submitted a vaccine safety report to Congress.” Health agencies have data on health outcomes for vaccinated and unvaccinated children, but they refuse to make it public, likely due to financial conflicts of interest!
Are we in India going the same way? Vaccine schedules full speed ahead but no follow-up on what happens to the children afterwards! A sorry story of we don’t know, we don’t care, is it?
—Florina Fernandes, Panjim