LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Repair CHOGM Road

This is with reference to the news report ‘Gaping potholes on CHOGM road a pain for motorists’ (NT June 18). The badly-battered state of the CHOGM road is here once again to haunt the residents of Porvorim, besides posing a danger to motorists and two-wheeler riders. Driving on the wrong side of the road has now become inevitable to avoid the death traps, adding thereby to the dangers of road accidents. Secondly, poor drainage, choked storm-water drains and faulty road camber have aggravated the situation during monsoon due to waterlogging, turning large stretches between the residential areas of Prudential Palms and Sapana Gardens into a flowing river after a few heavy showers, bringing traffic to a standstill. This is an annual feature, which has defied solutions and glossed over by the concerned authorities by passing the buck. The PWD had promised to complete the road repairs and hot-mixing of the CHOGM road by November end last year, but little was done except shoddy filling up of a few potholes and patchwork repairs. Are we going to see a repetition of the same this year?

A F NAZARETH, ALTO PORVORIM  

Apology, A Pristine Gesture

Apology is a pristine gesture; it does not belittle the seeker. On the other hand, it is like a glue to hold together relations. Philosophers have placed apology on a high pedestal; quite above ego. Repairing wounded minds and reestablishing relations by letting go of one’s ego are top aims of tendering an apology.   Accepting responsibility and genuinely repenting for the heartburn created due to a ‘mistake’ are essentials of an apology. Persons saying ‘sorry’ know they are not immune to committing mistakes. Parallely, the realisation of the capacity to confess to one’s own mistakes provides utmost satisfaction to the mind. ‘Sorry’ is equated with ‘love’ in some writings. Apologies are meant to change the future, not the past. When a person begs another’s pardon, it is not about winning or losing. It is more about a feeling that something heavy is off the shoulders. A swift apology can work wonders; it is always better to express regret before the wounds turn stale. Repeated apologies to the same person, on the same or different issue make no sense. Apologising without meaning is likely to water down the inviolability of the word. Also, a ‘sorry’ cannot come with a rider. Unambiguous apology, with no onus on the opposite party can hardly go wrong. Be that as it may, apology assumes a different wavelength when it is sought even when the person in question knows he has done no wrong. True leaders apologise; they do not make excuses.

GANAPATHI BHAT, AKOLA 

Pursue Talks To De-escalate Ladakh Tension

It is unfortunate that 20 Indian Army soldiers lost their lives in a face- off with Chinese troops in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley. This act of Chinese incursion is highly condemnable. Since May, high-level diplomatic talks between the two countries are going on to de-escalate the situation on the border, but there seems to be no major headway to resolve the issue amicably. In the midst of this, the call to boycott Chinese goods seems to be nothing but a kneejerk reaction. When our markets are flooded with Chinese goods, will the boycott not impact our economy? What about the livelihood of those millions of people who are dealing in Chinese goods? Will we stop driving cars and riding bikes, which have parts manufactured in China? What alternatives do we have in place to substitute the Chinese goods? The ‘Make in India’ initiative launched by the government six years back was supposed to boost domestic manufacturers and products, and minimise our reliance on foreign goods, but it never took off. On the contrary, in the last five years, the government has ignored the domestic market players by awarding contracts to some foreign and Chinese companies. Unless the government understands the ground realities and comes out with business-friendly policies to promote domestic manufacturers to produce quality goods at competitive prices, the initiatives like ‘Make in India’ and the appeal for ‘Atmanirbhar’ will remain just catchy slogans. Till then we have no option but to depend on foreign goods. If not from China, then they have to be sourced out from some other countries. We also need to know why all diplomatic talks have failed with China. New Delhi needs to work on policies to improve its ties with the neighbouring countries. The only way out to resolve all issues is by dialogue with good faith. India needs to pursue its diplomatic talks to de-escalate India China border stand-off.

SAMIR KHAN, MAPUSA