No 'virtual' problem this

By J. S. Ifthekhar

HYDERABAD, JAN. 27. Cyberabad is under attack, a three-pronged assault that leaves one dazed and helpless. No, the IT hub is not being stormed by the hacker. The challenge is not virtual but a real one -- the Homo sapiens being held to ransom by members of the bovine, canine and simian families. The problem just cannot be clicked away by the mouse.

The civic administration is worried and the situation is all the more embarrassing with the city attracting foreign delegates by the dozen.

A ruminating buffalo sitting plonk in the middle of a road, dung- heaps pock-marking the security-swept thoroughfares, a snarling dog sending shivers down your spine and a primate monkeying around -- and there goes the cyber-savvy image of Hyderabad.

Mr. Krishna Reddy, heading the veterinary wing in the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad, is at his wits' end. Both his mobile and landline ring continuously -- the speakers on the other end making no effort to conceal their angst. "It is three days since I complained about the monkeys in my locality. When will you catch them? We are having hell of a time with the dogs ..." the complaints go on.

This time, the complaints are more from the Exhibition Society. Quite a few visitors to the ongoing industrial exhibition were stated to have suffered dog bites the other day when they were busy shopping. "Since there are a lot of food stalls in the exhibition grounds, dogs are attracted to the food stuffs. A van has been sent to catch the canines," Mr. Reddy said. The steep rise in the numbers of stray dogs is directly related to the decision to stop their destruction.

The city is also witness to a lot of monkeying. Time was when the city was a communal cauldron. Communal clashes have led to a large number of apes moving from the Osmania University area to other places. Now there are complaints of these apes entering homes, opening fridges and eating to their hearts' content.

The deforestation around the State capital on account of mushrooming of colonies and the green drive in the city have contributed much to the monkey menace. What compounds matters is the presence of a sole monkey catcher, Qutbuddin.

The dumb cattle are also giving sleepless nights to the authorities. The other day a traffic cop was seen frantically shooing away a buffalo before the Chinese leader, Mr. Li Peng's visit. Shifting of the existing dairies is stated to be the only solution. As a deterrent the MCH plans to hike the penalty for seized animal from Rs. 200 to Rs. 500 per day. But this again requires a GO.

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