MyVoice: Views of our readers 12th March 2020

Congress faces existential crisis

The 15-month-old Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh has been reduced to a minority in the Assembly, in the wake of senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia quitting the party, along with 20 MLAs, in tow. There is little doubt that the Congress is facing an existential crisis in Madhya Pradesh, unable to keep its flocks together. There is no talented left in the Congress, except for the coterie, who barely open their mouth either to give their views or say something in protest. The unfortunate aspect with the Congress has been that it failed to read the writing on the wall for a long time, which is mainly due to the fact that old-guard of the Congress wants to rule the roost, ignoring the expectations and ambition of the new generation leadership, who are quite talented and innovative, for the party to continue and carry on. The dynasty leadership proved hopelessly inadequate in recognising the merit and talent in the new-generation leadership in the party to meaningfully groom and encourage them. No wonder those remained in the Congress are sycophants - the shameless and thick-skinned old timers, ready to put up with any amount of insult and ridicule by the 'high command', to be yes masters, always.

K V Raghuram, Wayanad, Kerala

Stop felling mangrove

The clear-felling of mangrove trees spread over 115 acres of land by the East Godavari district officials for making house sites is hasty and unwise (Environmentalists object to clearing mangroves for house sites, THI, March 9) as it sets a bad example that might indirectly embolden unlawful felling of mangroves being reported elsewhere in the district by vested interests. The officials instead of destroying the valuable mangroves should have searched for alternative lands available for the widely acclaimed YSR Housing Scheme 2020 which aims to construct houses for the poor people. That the officials have chosen the land of mangroves is certainly a retrograde and ill-advised action as it proves detrimental to the environment. This action calls for condemnation by all intellectuals and environmental activists. It also brings to light the palpable lack of awareness about the importance of mangroves and the need to protect them. Mangroves are a unique and diverse group of salt-tolerant plants in the inter-tidal estuarine zones as those in the Godavari districts. The significance of mangroves vis-a-vis the environment and bio-diversity should be well understood by all. They act as buffer zones between land and sea and protect the land from erosion. The forests serve as nature's shield against cyclones, tsunamis, and ecological disasters. They harbour a variety of life forms such as invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals besides acting as breeding grounds for a variety of marine animals. They are the main source of income generation for shoreline communities like fisherfolk. They also play a significant role in controlling global warming by acting as sinks for the atmospheric carbon dioxide which is the main GHG. Mangroves are also home to several medicinal plants and also support a number of threatened and endangered species. The destruction of the mangroves should be stopped by the authorities by enforcing the relevant Acts. The Forest Conservation Act 1980 prohibits diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes without the permission of the GOI. It should be remembered that the mangrove forests effectively controlled the fury of the devastating cyclone that struck Konaseema in 1996 and considerably reduced loss of life and property.

Dr E R Subrahmanyam, Amalapuram, EG dt, AP