Chemical castration, muddy Mulgao, BBSM and new ST schools

There is talk in the judiciary about the alarming rise in numbers of rapes in the country. There is talk of introducing chemical castration of the rapists. Maybe it is time for a national movement to get this law passed. We should make a beginning in Goa.

There must be something in the air or in the water, or in the exhaust from our vehicles. Why else is there an epidemic of rape in the country? Gang rape was unheard of in Goa, and now it’s heard of. And how...!

One man gives a lift to a 32 year-old domestic help who is also a widow. She accepts the lift in Cuncolim why, maybe she missed her bus, maybe she was too tired and could not pass up an opportunity to reach home in the relative comfort of a good samaritan’s car. Well she thought wrong. The man took her to a hotel in Betul, called five more of his buddies and they gang raped the woman.

That is shocking in itself. Even more shocking, three of the sextet have been caught and they have very Goan names. Their names were Sunil alias Vinod R Naik,28 , Gaurish L Zaraunkar 21 and Pandhari N Zaraunkar 29, all residents of Cola village near Betul.


Lives v/s livelihood – how muddy Mulgao got the royal ignore

The collapse of the bund of the tailing pond, or the terraces collapsing or whatever the hell the reason was for the muddy mess in Mulgao by the Dempo-turned-Sesa-Goa mine at Bicholim. Since there was no loss of human life, no one really paid attention to what happened at Mulgao. Thanks to the smooth handling by the publicity machinery of Sesa Goa.

And why not. Sesa Goa’s annual turnover is more than the entire budget of the state of Goa is what some say. They got the power. But the people of Mulgao are not going quietly into the night. They want compensation in cash. They want insurance for all their family members, because it is about time the mining companies stop getting away with murder.

Which is more devastating, losing your life? Or losing your livelihood. Mulgaokars livelihood was systematically destroyed. According to activists, and these know the dirt on everyone, Dempo Mining Corporation got environmental clearance to operate mines in the area by dint of sheer lies. The environmental report said that there were no water sources or sacred grounds in the area. It turned out there were three lakes one of which was sacred and now fenced off. All three lakes have been contaminated by mining reject. And that was before tons of wet mucky reject with chemicals for separating the ore poured into their paddy fields and areca nut plantations. So, what’s more devastating, losing your life? Or your livelihood and watch your family starve.



BBSM seems to be losing the MOI plot

What is the point of blocking the Chief Minister’s car in the middle of the road? Poor Digu must have nearly swallowed his tongue when his car had to shriek to a stop to avoid running over 10 shrieking BBSM activists from Ponda intent on running over his car. If they want to make a difference, they should take the early bus to Margao and stop Digu from getting into his car. And Digu is courteous to a fault, he would even offer them breakfast. But targeting Digu would make no difference at all, because two men in black in the High Court will decide if English medium primary schools should get a government grant or not. Or they will decide if the English medium of instruction should begin this year or not.

New school category– ST or Single teacher schools

There are quite a large number of Marathi medium schools that have only 10 or less students in their four classes and only one teacher teaching the syllabus of all four classes. Now Goa has a new category of schools – ST schools or Single Teacher schools. The state will now allow single teacher schools to operate only two primary classes to ease pressure on the teacher and to improve teaching in the institutions. So every neighbouring single teacher school will exchange students. One will have classes 1 and 2 and the other will have classes 3 and 4. This too is supposed to be implemented this year itself. Can you imagine the commotion?