It takes two to tango, fixing responsibility must

What steps should be taken to minimise fatal accidents due to stray cattle during fog?

Many lives are on the line

The issue of stray animals must be taken seriously as many accidents can be prevented if these are taken off the road. Animals roaming freely not only put lives in jeopardy – of theirs and others – but also give a bad impression of the city. Frequent road accidents, major or minor, unsafe travelling, especially during the night when visibility dims due to fog, occurs because of these animals. The risk of mishaps increases; it becomes difficult for the driver to spot any animal, vehicles while travelling at high speed on the highways, posing more risk to the occupants and animals. Most of the animals wandering freely in search of fodder must belong to some owner. The MC should net the cattles and levy heavy fine and keep them at shelter homes. The menace of stray cattle is a very serious issue. It cannot be ignored and take serious action against the owner and ensure that cattle are kept in sheds and not to be a nuisance to others. Sometimes you keep on honking but they don’t move an inch and the traffic comes to a halt. We should also take precautions and limit the speed of vehicles, and if possible, the government should ensure to tie some reflective neon belts so that the commuters can be wary of them.

Shashi Kiran

Drivers must take precautions

Our municipal bodies are still grappling with the menace of stray cattle without any imminent breakthrough, even in near future. The citizens, however, are required to take necessary precautions while driving on city roads, especially during the winter season, when the fog eruption is frequent and drivers face visibility problems and driving without adequate safety measures can be fatal. First and foremost precaution is speed control, which can help stop the vehicle abruptly in case of emergency. Second is to ensure that windscreens are clean and not fogged out. Third is to keep emergency lights on under extreme foggy conditions while maintaining a constant low speed. Fourth is to always keep yellow fog lights on while driving. Fifth is to keep the vehicle fully serviced and in good condition before the onset of winter season. Finally, the drivers need to remain extra cautious while strictly complying with all traffic rules in vogue.

Jagdish Chander

Civic bodies need to pull its socks up

If India has earned an enviable reputation for having the largest livestock population, highest production of milk and the third largest bovine meat export in the world, it is confronted with a formidable challenge as well. Residents across the country are deeply concerned over an alarming increase in the number of stray cattle gallivanting around freely. Along with the growth of dairy industry, the ban on cow slaughter, crackdown on illegal slaughter houses, restrictions on cattle movement to Bangladesh, Myanmar and the Northeast, and unprecedented vigilantism besides mob lynching by ‘gau rakshaks’ in the past few years are the major reasons. These abandoned animals not only spoil city roads and posh colonies, and destroy lush green parks and standing crops, but also cause traffic snarls and serious road accidents. The problem becomes more vexed in Punjab at night, particularly during the winter season, when visibility reduces due to fog, smog and atmospheric haze. Despite imposing cow cess on various items, the successive state dispensations have failed to resolve the menace, courtesy lackadaisical attitude of the civic authorities. Moreover, the MCs face financial and infrastructural constraints such as trained manpower and adequate transport facilities for netting the animals. Unfortunately, most of these cattle either starve to death or feed on garbage only to fall sick. The existing ‘gaushalas’ lack proper space, fodder, hygienic conditions and veterinary care. We should revise our livestock policies to serve the country’s interests without hurting the popular sentiments and perpetrating violence against a particular community. The Centre is adopting new techniques to improve the breed of cows and eliminate male bovine before conception. The state government should release substantial funds for opening and maintaining proper cow shelters, spread public awareness against the prevailing nuisance and impose hefty fines on those who abandon unproductive animals. Otherwise, how long can we stoically accept the issue as incurable?

DS Kang

Carelessness is the biggest factor

I must congratulate The Tribune team on bringing this serious subject to the fore. In this wintry and foggy weather, causing poor visibility, the number of accidents rises sharply. The administration, police and the people are all responsible for this tragedy and sorry state of affairs. The police should be very strict in challaning the violators. The people should keep the headlights of their vehicles on while driving. But in addition to these, there are many other factors, too, such as overspeeding, wrong parking, not using dipper at night, wrong overtakes and irresponsible ways the driving licence authorities are doing their work. All these factors are responsible for the mayhem on the roads. Stray cattle and dogs roam around freely on the main roads as well as sidewalks. The municipal committees and corporations take no measures to tame these beasts, and claim all kinds of taxes from the public. Even as ‘gaushalas’ are there in many cities, still many non-milking cows and bulls have a free run of the roads and streets. Research and statistics show that the number of road accidents worldwide is 1 per cent but out of that the number in India is 10 per cent – how ironic and unfortunate! Many young and precious lives are lost prematurely in such road accidents. The rules of driving should be taught to the school children, so that at least they know about proper driving.

Dr JS Wadhwa

QUESTION

What steps should be taken by the Health Department for administering Covid vaccine smoothly?

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