MyVoice: Views of our readers 8thJanuary 2025

Rooster fights: Blatant failure of law and order

In 2016 Andhra Pradesh High Court banned rooster fights under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and the AP Gaming Act, 1974. But this bloodsport is continually celebrated every year in Godavari and Krishna districts during Sankrant festival with full knowledge of Police and Government. This cruel fowl play has huge patronage including law makers who come from other districts of two Telugu States. A huge chunk of money in lakhs is changing hands. I was in audiance in this show for a few years when I was a student in Bhimavaram college. This year, Govt is planning to deploy drones to check rooster fights. Let us see in a few days how best the Govt machinery prevents this atrocious event.

N S K Prasad, Kapra, Hyderabad

T N Governor’s dereliction of duty

Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi casts himself in an adversarial relationship with the state government and makes no secret of his visceral dislike of what the DMK stands for. He has time and again proved that he is not a punctilious Governor. He has been a thorn in a mandated government’s flesh, bringing into question his fitness to hold the office of Governor. The problem with Ravi is that he is not able to graduate from being a Hindutva zealot to performing his gubernatorial duties in accordance with constitutional requirements and outgrow his penchant for making a public display of his more patriotic-than-thou attitude. It does not occur to him that a Governor’s decisions cannot be informed by the “clash of ideologies” or his conception of nationalism. True to style, Ravi aired his grievance about the national anthem as a ruse to “wriggle out” of delivering a speech prepared by the DMK government extolling the “Dravidian model of governance”. He ought not have tried to pit the Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu and the national anthem against each other. “No work, no pay” principle can be applied in the case of the Governor. Some token amount can be deducted from his salary for running away (or at least briskly walking away) from carrying out his work of reading the customary address to the Assembly.

G David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

Civic body restructuring warranted

The CM Revanth Reddy’s proposal to add another Municipal Corporation to administer areas within Outer Ring Road limits is very appropriate. Each corporation will administer 1,000sq kms area and as the city has expanded, the civic body restructuring is warranted. The proposal to have two police commissionerates one for each Municipal corporation instead of existing three commisionerates as a measure will eliminate duplicity, overlapping and confusions in policing sphere, besides reducing administrative expenses.

P R Ravinder, Malkajgiri, Hyderabad

Take precaution against HMPV virus

The buzz over HMPV, or Human metapneumovirus, mounted as India confirmed two cases of the virus at a Bengaluru hospital on Monday. The infected were a three-month-old girl and an eight-month-old boy. Concern over HMPV has grown globally after reports of an outbreak in China emerged this week. Later, a surge in HMPV cases was also reported from Malaysia. This has raised fears of a possible health emergency. Reports claimed that “hospitals in China are overwhelmed as outbreaks of ‘influenza A’ and ‘human metapneumovirus’ resemble the COVID-19 surge from three years ago. What we can do to avoid the ill effects of virus is to take precautionary measures.

Dimple Wadhawan, Kanpur Nagar

***

HMPV virus which is known as Corona’s brother has given alarm in India. HMPV has entered India with the speed of wind. Due to this, the past memories of Corona in Indians have been revived. Like Corona, this virus is also spreading rapidly, so there is a lot of fear among the people. Many people had to suffer huge financial losses due to the lockdown during Corona. That is why the name of lockdown now has shivered many people. In such critical time, not worry but carefulness is important. Care must be taken from the very beginning to avoid HMPV virus. For this, citizens should make a habit of using masks from now. We all know that caution is a great medicine for every disease.

Sudhir G Kangutkar, Thane