MyVoice: Views of our readers 11th August 2021

Demolish encroachments on footpaths

For more than five years I have been trying to convince civic authorities of Hyderabad and nation-wide, that there is massive and rampant illegal encroachment of footpaths in residential areas. I have even a lodged a complaint about Saket colony, Kapra, but nothing has been done. There will be hundreds and thousands of such residential localities in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and perhaps in all states of India causing huge inconvenience to poor pedestrians, even injury/death, and a colossal loss to the exchequer.

I read in The Hans India of August 8, a news report that shadnagar's municipal commissioner D. Lavanya, got "demolished" ramps and other illegal structures in the residential colonies of Shadnagar. I request all of you, the crusaders of eff, to approach civic authorities in your locality to also raze such structures immediately. I endorse a copy of this appeal to Lavanya with gratitude and request her to lead the movement in Telangana and all-India.

Prof B R Sant, Hyderabad

Typical political vendetta

Enforcement Directorate's (ED) raid on various locations belonging to former Karnataka minister and Congress MLA BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan is rather late in coming as this should have been carried out long back for his unexplained ways in amassing wealth, beyond the known source of income. The illogical reasoning of who complained to the ED for facilitating the rains is petulant. Khan who ditched JD(S), joined the Congress ahead of the 2018 Assembly elections in Karnataka, is a rank opportunist. The onus for the complaint has been owned up by BJP leader, N R Ramesh. Political vendetta is the usual term that is being used by the political leaders in the country, who are under the scanner for being on the wrong side of the law for perpetuating their own political agenda in amassing wealth through corrupt and illegal means.

K R Parvathy, Mysuru

A worthy reception

The grand welcome accorded to India's Olympic heroes on their return from Tokyo was a fitting recognition of their prowess. First, the crowd hoisted grappler and bronze medal winner Bajrang Punia on their shoulders upon his arrival at IGI airport.

Then, the 'man with the golden arm', Neeraj Chopra, held centrestage. Hotel Ashoka, where Sports Minister Anurag Thakur felicitated the medal winners, wore a festive look, decked up in bright colours with the Olympic rings present. The Sports Minister also heaped praise on the women's hockey team and golfer Aditi Ashok, both of whom narrowly missed out on a medal. With many state governments deciding to honour the winners, the celebrations will continue.

N J Ravi Chander, Bengaluru

Rich countries must be more accountable

Now is the time to act in that when it comes to climate change we cannot be wiser after the event to any purpose; the unprecedented changes due to the global phenomenon of climate change would be catastrophic and irreversible. We cannot wait until it is too late. It should dawn on us that it would be impossible for us to adapt to temperature beyond a certain degree and survive. The Earth heating to three degree Celsius or somewhere around it more spells catastrophe and beyond it an apocalypse. There is solid and irrefutable scientific evidence to show that climate change is largely due to human activities such as fossil fuel burning and deforestation. It is a mercy that climate change is a soluble problem.

G David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu