Artificially Ripened Mangoes
THOUGH the mango season is well and truly on, it must be said that the fruits available in the market are beyond the reach of the common man because of its prohibitive prices.
But the worst part is that mangoes are slowly and surely losing their taste. Mangoes sold in the market today can hardy be compared to those of yesteryears in taste and texture. However, it is understood that with the sole aim of making a quick buck, mangoes are artificially ripened with the help of calcium carbide (CC). This can prove to be harmful to the health of the consumers in the long run. Therefore, it seems necessary for the state Food and Drug Administration to make concerted efforts to check the artificial ripening of mangoes by conducting periodic checks and confiscate those fruits found to be ripened using calcium carbide
ADELMO FERNANDES, Vasco
Need for Long Term Planning
WITH reference to the widening of the national highway NH-4A, it appears that the government in a bid to pacify the agitating people, is pressing upon the Union ministry to reduce the width of the highway from Curti to Old Goa, from 60m to 45m. Whereas no one can deny that every effort should be made to minimise the woes of the affected people, it is also a reality that whenever we plan something it should be on a long term basis. The fact remains that road traffic will only increase steeply in the years to come. Importantly, the people who are likely to be displaced should be taken into confidence and given alternative options, at the nearest location available and should be fully compensated so that in no way will their livelihood be affected.
MICHAEL VAZ, Merces
Petty Politicians
AS reported in the media, Amitabh Bachchan attended the inauguration function of the Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link project connecting Bandra and Worli on March 24, 2010, as an invitee. However, Congress leaders upset at his presence reportedly complained to party President, Ms Sonia Gandhi, who obviously did not mind Mr Bachchan’s presence. Amitabh Bachchan needs no introduction; he is a resident of Mumbai and an international celebrity. Perhaps, the inauguration got more visibility and respectability in the presence of Amitabh Bachchan than it would have in the presence of such petty politicians. The project in question is built from the tax-payers’ money and does not belong to the Congress Party, though it regards all the infrastructure projects in India as its personal property and names them after its leaders. Therefore, Amitabh or any citizen has all the right to be present at such a function, even uninvited. Politicians perhaps need to remember that they need to rise above petty politics wherever national interest is concerned.
SND POOJARY, Miramar
A Timely Panacea
US President, Mr Barack Obama has scored a political point over his predecessors by getting approved the long-pending historic health care bill. Importantly, this sweet success came at the appropriate time. While America could spend billions of dollars to wage wars on foreign soil, on its own lands, one-in-ten people could not see a doctor. By passing the Bill, US members of Congress voted for a practical measure of medicine for all. With his most pressing domestic policy solved, Mr Obama must now focus on pressing matters of foreign policy especially the war in Afghanistan and Pakistan and dealing effectively with Iran.
GREGORY FERNANDES, Mumbai
Working Class must be Treated as One Entity
WITH the revision in minimum wages, though not very substantial, the working class in the state can now breathe a sigh of relief. However, when the Minister for Labour stated that the government is in the process of working out modalities of minimum wage hike for government workers, one was struck dumb by the absurdity of such an exercise. The Leader of Opposition has been right in questioning the rationale behind categorising workers as ‘government’ and ‘non-government’ while fixing daily minimum wages. Such a move by the Ministry of Labour would imply that there exist 2 classes of workers and that the government is endorsing a disparity in wages between the two. Furthermore, the government should be more concerned with those from the unorganised sector when it decides on revision of minimum wages in proposition to the price-index and cost of living, for it is they who are the worst-hit. The government should not be seen promoting a culture where workers are differentiated according to the nature of their employment. The existing system of categorising workers have made even those working on ‘contract basis’ in various sections of the government deem themselves as the ‘privileged’ class. The on-going indefinite hunger strike by the daily wage/contract workers of the Malaria Diseases Control Programme who are protesting their termination of services is a direct consequence of similar advocacies by various ministries. When the government does not differentiate between genders when it comes to remunerative considerations, in all fairness, the working class should be recognised as one entity and welfare measures should be taken up without any classification as government and non-government workers.
PACHU MENON, Margao
