Take a toll

Sir — Most people have, at some point in their life, paid toll tax. Vehicle users pay for the privilege of using highways. The tax money is, in turn, used for the upkeep of those highways. But what if animals could also collect a tax from humans who stray into their territory? It has been suggested that an elephant in Thailand did just that. A recent video showed the pachyderm stopping trucks loaded with sugarcane while the vehicles were crossing an animal corridor and snatching a few stalks from their consignments. Perhaps all animals should start charging a tax from the fancy resorts set up in and around our national parks.

Debayan Khatik, Nadia

Risky terrain

Sir — It is disheartening that unchecked human activity has disrupted the delicate ecological balance in the Himalayas. A recent study by the National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad, has revealed that Rudraprayag and Tehri in Uttarakhand are the most landslide-prone districts in the country. Rajouri and Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, south Sikkim and east Sikkim are other highrisk areas. A multi-pronged approach that not only promotes the understanding of local ecologies but also prioritises environmental impact studies must precede commercial projects in hilly areas.

Vijay Singh Adhikari, Nainital, Uttarakhand

Callous comment

Sir — The comment by an independent member of the legislative assembly from Maharashtra, Omprakash Babarao Kadu, suggesting that stray dogs from Maharashtra be sent to Assam for consumption, should be condemned. It betrays a stereotypical outlook towards the eating habits of people living in the Northeast. Earlier, a Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Jharkhand, Biranchi Narayan, had also suggested that bringing in people from Nagaland would be the best way to tackle the problem of stray dogs in the state. Lawmakers should look to implement scientific measures to control and reduce the population of strays in their constituencies.

Amrapali Roy, Jamshedpur

Nuanced approach

Sir — Luv Puri deserves praise for his scrupulously detailed analysis of the geography and the demography of Ladakh (“Churn in Ladakh”, Mar 3). The varied characteristics of the populace in its two parts — Leh and Kargil — have been rightly highlighted. The manner in which their differences have been laid aside in demands for statehood along with the restoration of their Permanent Resident Certificate status is encouraging. Let us hope that the Centre takes a more nuanced approach to the issues in Ladakh.

Sukhendu Bhattacharjee, Hooghly

Poor comparison

Sir — The Tamil Nadu president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, K. Annamalai, has rightly faced criticism from leaders of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam for comparing himself to the late J. Jayalalithaa. One has to question the motive behind this comparison. Why could he not pick a BJP leader instead of Jayalalithaa? As far as the charge of disrespecting other AIADMK leaders is concerned, does the party itself remember the contribution of its founder, M.G. Ramachandran?

M.C. Vijai Shanker, Chennai

Clean the air

Sir — As a resident of the city, it is shocking to learn that Calcutta was the second-most polluted metropolitan city in India after Delhi during winter of 2022-23 (“City No. 2 in winter pollution”, Mar 9). Both the government and the residents of Calcutta and its adjoining areas should take this report seriously and do whatever they can to bring about significant improvement in the city’s air quality.

Sourish Misra, Calcutta