Mindless Plunder
THE news that oceans may be devoid of fish in 40 years should be an eye-opener for all ‘fishitarians’ in general and Goans in specific. The situation that is going to come after 40 years is the result of greed of human beings who have been plundering Mother Earth to satisfy their need for more.

We have not only thrown caution to the wind, but have also been blatantly ignoring the warning and laws of the marine department, government, insurance companies etc and continue with the trade even during breeding season. We have never taken cognisance of nature and this holds true not only in the matter of fishing but also in all matters regarding the environment.
P K PAL, St Inez

Mangalore Air Crash-I
ANOTHER unwanted milestone has been achieved by the Indian Airways with the tragic crash of Boeing 737 at Mangalore, claiming 158 lives, the third worst air disaster in our aviation history. Speculations are rife that it was apparently the pilot’s mistake of overshooting the table-top runway that plunged the plane in a deep valley bringing gloom all over the country. The fact is the pilot is not alive to defend himself or narrate on the turn of events that actually took place on that fateful day. Nonetheless, it has been gathered that he was an experienced pilot of over 10,000 hours of flying experience, had piloted Boeing 737 for 2700 hours, had landed in Mangalore 20 times, the last being just 5 days before the accident. What is atrocious to note is that the Mangalore airport is located on a hilltop with the runway built on a flat stretch of land that drops at the end and on both sides and is the roughest to navigate, giving the pilots no room for the even the smallest of errors. Isn’t this an aberration by itself? Worst still, it is said that there are six such air strips in the country. Let us try and learn from this terrible tragedy and make ‘safety first’ our motto at all times and in all circumstances. Paying compensation however hefty can never be a solution as human life can never be compensated for.
MICHAEL VAZ, Merces

Mangalore Air Crash-II
THE Air India Express air crash at Mangalore airport is a tragic accident where many innocent lives were lost. Now there will be a number of excuses and reasons for this crash. Remedial steps should be taken immediately to avoid such catastrophes from occurring in the future. This airport has a hill top table plateau runway and the runway is very short–6300 feet as compared to the normal 9000 feet plus required for normal runways. If an aircraft overshoots this runway it goes into the valley and this is exactly what happened. Also the airworthiness of the aircraft should be taken into consideration and thorough checks should be conducted on all aircrafts regularly. The Air Traffic Controllers have also to answer if there was poor visibility during landing and why permission to land was given. Facts will come to light only after the black box has been recovered and investigations made. In the meantime we can only offer our condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the departed souls.
WENZEL D’MELLO, Mapusa

Death Sentence for the Offence of Rape   
MR Shantaram Naik’s initiative of introducing a private members bill in the Rajya Sabha to amend the punitive provision for the offence of rape is really appreciable. He has sought enhancement of punishment to death sentence for the offence of rape. Rape is a most heinous crime which inflicts physical as well as psychological injury on the victim. This crime continues to increase unabated as atrocities against women continue to escalate   even after 60 years of independence. In light of the above, it is imperative that deterrent capital punishment be awarded to the guilty. Special tribunals to deal with cases of atrocities against women will be a good idea. Despite efforts to raise the standard of women through various legislative reforms, the status of women continues to deteriorate. Respective governments have time and again displayed laxity in matters concerning the woman. In Goa, to highlight the obtuse attitude of the authorities, one can take the example of the Kadamba Bus stand in Panaji where not even a single police van is seen patrolling after 6 p.m. In Mumbai, the railways had implemented an action plan according to which every ladies boogie was guarded by a lady police constable. What is required is a change in the mindset of the authorities. The state is least bothered to ensure the safety of its citizen especially the women. Sometimes one gets the feeling that stricter laws is one aspect and its implementation is another. Stringent implementation of existing laws is the need of the hour. Mr Naik should be congratulated for his efforts and we should hope that he gets enough support from his colleagues in the government and also the Opposition cutting across party lines.
KAPIL PHADTE, MARGAO