Frequent Power Failures
Power failures have become an everyday affair in Mapusa city, inconveniencing its citizens. With the temperatures soaring high, it becomes difficult to stay in the house without either the fan or the air conditioner on.

I am unable to understand what exactly goes wrong with power almost everyday. When I try to call up the electricity department to enquire as to what the problem is, I am told that the ‘line is faulty.’ How can the ‘line’ be faulty almost everyday is a question to be pondered upon. Though the electricity department provides a very good 24-hour service of taking down people’s complaints and attending the same, all this comes to a naught with the recurrent power failures. In addition to the inconvenience caused, many electrical and electronic appliances also get damaged due to the fluctuations. I hope the authorities look into this at the earliest.
Sunil Sawant, Mapusa 

Curbing Road Fatalities
The rising number of accidental deaths on Goan roads is a matter of serious concern. Of late, many accidental deaths have been reported in various parts of the state. A media report recently said that the four months of 2010 witnessed 25 deaths in North Goa, which is a case for worry. Something concrete needs to be done to stop these road fatalities. Though the cops claim that they do their job by challaning riders and drivers for not wearing helmets and for drunken driving and overspeeding, accidental deaths seem to continue. In most cases, the riders and drivers do not mind paying the fines and continue disobeying the traffic rules. These drivers need to be educated and strict measures like even cancelling their licences should be implemented. In some cases, the roads too are defective and need correction. Roads dug-up by some departments for carrying out concerned works, open manholes, improper illumination on roads also contribute to the road fatalities. In order to curb the road fatalities, the government could hire services of an expert agency. Steps in this direction were taken some time back but not much seems to have been done in that respect. Political will to do the needful is also important.
Daniel Fernandes, Porvorim

MPs’ Absence from House
The regular absenteeism of MPs during question hour, throwing the parliamentary proceedings into a glitch, had once compelled the Speaker of the August House to castigate them for their irresponsible behaviour. The continued absence of the Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers, Mr M K Alagiri from the Parliament, causing embarrassment to the UPA government, has once again prompted the Speaker to invite the minister for discussions over his problems. It would appear that in our country a ‘ministership’ is an ‘honorarium’ that is doled out to alliance-partners for their continued support to the government. Far from it! As a minister, the incumbent is responsible for managing the affairs of the country vis-à-vis the office assigned. If, as has been reported, the language barrier has become a matter of consternation for Mr Alagiri, as he is known to be only well-versed in Tamil, the UPA government should have taken into consideration these shortcomings of its allies before allocating portfolios and ministries to them. Though convent-education or proficiency in the national language should not be seen as a pre-requisite for a Member of Parliament, a linguistic predicament of a minister stalling the minutes of the House is more preposterous than alarming! Moreover, not being proficient in Hindi has not deterred many elected representatives from the South from conducting their business in the House in chaste English. With a host of bureaucrats and the others assigned to assist him, as an able administrator there are umpteen ways a minister could make himself understood and ensure a hassle-free set-up.
Pachu Menon, Margao

GU Must Strive for ‘A’ Grade Rating
The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) rating for Goa University is clearly disappointing. Following the support that the University got from the people of Goa in the university not being converted into a central university, which was also ratified by the state government, the administration at the University should have pulled itself up by its bootstraps and excelled in its domain. They seem to have gone the other way of being complacent and redolent in the newfound public support and in the process become indolent. This will not do. The Goa University has to and must live up to the promise of becoming an A grade university of India. That is the least that they can do for the people of Goa and India. However, one does not appreciate the manner in which the secretary, Department of Education, government of Goa, is dealing with the matter of the lower rating that the Goa University got from the central agency. Where is the necessity to write to the CM on this matter? The secretary should realise that at the University he is dealing with educated and professional people and he could have just walked across to the Vice Chancellor and thrashed out the issue. If necessary, later a meeting could have been convened with the Chancellor, the Governor of Goa, and the CM. Dealing with important and critical matters in an oblique manner has been the hallmark of our bureaucracy. They little realise that such methods rarely work and are seen more in the nature of a complaint getting people’s backs all arched up or when the intention is to play politics. Surely the secretary’s (Dept of Education) intention was not this and, therefore, if the aim was to do good to Goa and the University, let him approach the matter directly and in a forthright manner.
S Kamat, Alto Betim