Tirunelveli Reader’s Mail

Stray dog menace, library renovation, drug awareness campaigns, and more - pressing issues in Tirunelveli addressed concisely.

Dogs roam in railway station

I was in Tirunelveli Junction to board a train at night recently. I was shocked to see stray dogs were roaming about here and there, fighting with one another for food leftovers from passengers. The pack of dogs pose a threat to passengers. People should have dropped the food leftover in the bins, giving no room for the dogs to fight for the food. There was no one to drive away the stray dogs from the railway station. The railway authorities should take measures to ensure that the stray dogs are kept away for the safety of people.

Rajakumar Arulanandham

Palayamkottai

Make public space free from dogs

Stray dog menace is on the increase alarmingly in Marthandam and surrounding areas in Kanniyakumari district. Pedestrians and those who go for a walk risk being attacked by pack of stray dogs. Children, elders and the physically challenged are especially vulnerable to their attacks. They also cause accidents. Riders of two-wheelers, while being obstructed or chased by the strays, lose their balance and fall down, and sometimes suffer serious injuries. Things that attract the strays must be identified and removed. People should be dissuaded from abandoning their pet dogs on the streets. They can be rehabilitated in exclusive veterinary care centres to reduce their population. Sterilisation will help contain their proliferation. There must be a fine balance between human rights and canine rights. Protection of people is paramount. Admittedly, freeing public spaces of packs of feral dogs is a huge challenge. Even so, the authorities should jointly do the needful to make public spaces free from stray dogs. People should be able to move around freely and without fear.

G. David Milton,