Would you dare give intelligence inputs, considering your police can't be trusted with such sensitive info; also why have police then? A sample of insight into ministers' minds is Transport Minister Godinho saying his government was contemplating the use of AI to catch traffic violators! If the Modi government could'nt ban the Rs 30,000 crores packaged water bottle industry after initial bravado,Cabral too got cold feet over banning manufacture of plastic bags.
Lion Roars
November 23, 2019
If the answer to that is yes, then Goa would be India's only state to achieve that dubious distinction on socio (social, sociological, society) aspects of life. If that distinction however is debatable, and definitely arguable as some would say; Exhibit A (several in fact) for the prosecution would be the following facts. The almost daily road fatalities (three on a single day this month) including involving foreign tourists (2 dead Russians) and a transport minister totally clueless on how to fix the problem. The almost daily arrest of sex workers and pimps and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in a total state of denial. The almost daily arrest of drug peddlers, Nigerians included, and Sawant demanding that citizens feed his police with intelligence inputs.
Would you dare, considering your police can't be trusted with such sensitive information; also raising the question – why have a police department then? Daily crime by migrants including rape. Garbage heaps everywhere including building debris, and a hilarious failed attempt again to rope in citizens to pinpoint black holes through apps (again!). What is it with the BJP and apps? For both size and population, tiny Goa is far smaller than the size of any district in any of the three neighbouring states. The prosecution duly rests its case.
Ministers at the helm
You could argue helmed in nonsense, which is why your government can't think out of the box or, would that be too much too much to ask considering ministers have insisted that their OSDs (officers on special duty) no longer need to have a proper education. Here's a working sample or insight into the minds of your ministers. In August Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho said his government had been discussing how to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to apprehend traffic violators. “AI will be integrated with latest cameras to track violations and even the movement of vehicular traffic. It will facilitate sending automatic challans to the traffic violators,” he said, after chairing a State Road Safety Council meeting. God forbid. Look what his management of High-Security Registration Plates got you!
New bottle old wine
From January 1, 2020 the Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral intends to totally ban 'all items' sold in 'small quantities' in plastic packaging, including sachets, water, all kinds of beverages/aerated drinks sold in PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles of volumes below 500ml. Strangely, he did not include plastic (or aluminum foil) cups, containers, stirrers and disposable cutlery used by thousands of eateries and fast food outlets in Goa.
If ever there was a harebrained idea, this is it, coming after his own Modi government in Delhi discovered to its shock that the packaged water bottle industry has a turnover of Rs 30,000 cr and the entire plastic industry is worth Rs 7.5 lakh core and employs 7 crore people. It withdrew the ban on single use plastic carry bags. Which is also why his government has not had the courage to actually ban the manufacture of plastic carry bags, but has only loosely banned the single-use of plastic carry bags in Goa.
Cabral should also understand that the worst form of single-use plastics is the multi-layered packaging used in sachets for packing tobacco products like gutkha, chocolates, biscuits, chips and liquid food. Cabral would do well to research his idea (see picture: Even building complexes in Bangalore specify clearly what kind of garbage goes where to help with segregation) thoroughly first, because no beverage/aerated drinks/water producer would be willing to pull out their under 500ml packaging just to suit his fantasy in the tiny Goa market. They would prefer instead to pull out of the Goa market and leave it to smugglers to do their business. Another app opportunity for citizens because Cabral wants retired teachers etc involved!
