MANOHAR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

ONE MILLION HAPPY PASSENGERS! The Manohar International Airport in Goa is happy to record that it has handled 1 million happy passengers in 116 days as of May 5, 2023. The airport now connects to 25 domestic destinations across India. This overwhelming response from passengers now positions the MIA amongst the top 20 airports in India as per March 2023 domestic traffic data. GMR Goa International Airport Ltd (GGIAL) is a subsidiary of GMR Airports Infrastructure Ltd. The airport is currently catering to Code C aircrafts used by the domestic carriers but is equipped to handle even the wide body Code D & E aircrafts. Quoting R V Sheshan, CEO-GGIAL, “While reaching the million passenger milestone is a commendable achievement we have many more milestones to achieve! I would like to thank every member of the airport team for their collective hard work to achieve this milestone by ensuring that our passengers had a pleasant experience when they chose Manohar International Airport.”

DYING ON THE ROADS?

A TOTAL of 104 persons have already lost their lives on the roads of Goa in just 120 days from January 2023 to April 2023, as per police data. One of the root causes for this is the easy availability of alcohol every few metres throughout the state. Goa for a long drive today and in most villages of Goa (especially along the coastal belt) one will find no hospitals or medical clinics or pharmacies but there will be hundreds of bars and liquor outlets every few metres everywhere!
The other reason is due to people’s own negligence or “ghand-masti,” some of them simply think they are extra smart and go for a drive anyhow and anywhere, abusing accelerator and without concentrating on the road while driving. The worst part is RTO officials are seen taking bribes through middle man or agent surreptitiously and issuing permanent licenses to even those unfit to drive and without the basic education of driving on the roads.
Respective governments have not bothered to improve public transport services in the state. So we have far too many using their own two/four wheelers to travel short and long distances and adding to the chaos on already crowded roads. It is imperative a smart government introduces state-of-the art public transportation in Goa, make it the top priority if the future is not going to be ruined.
The government should also put strict restrictions over the sale of liquor here, there and everywhere and encourage people to take to optional modes of moving around in the city, stop the corruption, and improve public road conditions for the travelling public. If all this happen we can forget about Goa being a dream destination in the years to come. Or for that matter saving anyone life if there’s a road accident…Goa is becoming a nightmare on the roads and it’s high time the a responsible takes stock of what’s happening out there in public spaces.
—Jerry Fernandes, Saligao

NARENDRA MODI’S PERSECUTION COMPLEX!
NARENDRA Modi seems to be suffering from persecution complex and this is much of his own making. According to him he has been defamed 91 times by the Congress opposition. How many times has he downgraded the Gandhi family and Congress party stalwarts who have contributed hugely to the country’s prosperity since independence?
Modi has been bashing the imposition of Emergency in 1975 by the Indira Gandhi. Is the situation now in India during his rule not more harsh than during the Emergency? His BJP government thinks nothing of unleashing CBI and ED to conduct a witch-hunt against opposition leaders who are proactive, the Congress as well as AAP which has beaten the BJP lock, stock and barrel in Delhi and Punjab.
He has not come out with the truth of his own educational certificates and the Adani scams instead of sweeping the issued under the carpet. Modi must know that what goes round comes round and stop teaching us about how his persecution! The farmers of India taught him a lesson but at the cost of 700 lives; the BJP believes in destabilizing governments in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, as we have seen so clearly.
— Elvidio Miranda, Panaji

ENOUGH OF POLITICIANS WHO…
THE people have had enough of politicians who renege on promises made during election time! When people elect politicians they do so in good faith, in the belief that those elected will serve them with integrity and deliver on the promises they make. What they do not expect is a breakdown in trust. People rightly demand no excuses, no lies and no broken promises. Politicians who break promises must realize that false promises are worse than lies. Because they make others hope, hope for something you’re not sure you can give or have no intention of delivering. Delivery should not be dependent on the rolling of a dice.
We have heard enough of Mann Ki Baat and we would now be content with some Sacchi Baat. The political turf must evolve and change for the better. Those in power must govern with sincerity, precision and foresight. Governance must always be with accountability and transparency. The role of those in the Opposition is all the more important as they need to be alert watchdogs to ensure that there is good governance at all times, free from corruption and nepotism.
Our politicians would do well to follow Mahatma Gandhi whose commitment was to truth and not consistency of endless broken promises and U-turns!
–Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar, Goa