Sir — Much has been said about the plight of stray dogs who are suffering starvation owing to the lockdown. But what about the stray horses? The equines who pull the tangas outside Victoria Memorial are emaciated even in the best of times. Given the lockdown and the absence of tourists, tanga drivers are probably not earning any money. If it comes down to a choice between feeding the animals and feeding one’s family, the horses are unlikely to be the winners. Let loose, the horses will wander into thoroughfares and can be run over by passing traffic if they do not die of starvation first.

Roshni Sen,

Calcutta

Thirst trap

Sir — People congregating at liquor shops make a great mockery of the lockdown. How is it that in spite of financial difficulties so many of them can afford alcohol? The decision to open liquor shops has been taken to generate more revenue, but the idea seems flawed. The expenditure that the poor and the middle class incur from buying alcohol is likely to worsen the financial stress on their families. Besides the crowds outside shops increasing chances of transmission of Covid-19, consumption of liquor will no doubt lead to a further spurt in domestic violence, with the restrictions on movement leaving no scope for women to escape. The decision will hit the destitute and women the hardest.

Shayan Das,

North 24 Parganas

Sir — Since liquor was inaccessible for close to 40 days, people may now end up drinking too much and breaking rules of social distancing to get their hands on alcohol. There should be a regulation on how much alcohol a person is allowed to consume and also on how many people are allowed at liquor shops at a given time. Alongside this, adequate resources for dealing with withdrawal from addiction and treating dependence must be made available, and smooth access to these services should be ensured. Liquor shop owners should be made to keep hand sanitizers for customers. Opening liquor stores is a slippery slope; if the administration slips, the gains of the lockdown will be lost.

According to one estimate, states collect around Rs 2 lakh crore from liquor sales, which makes up at least 15 per cent of the tax revenue of states. The lockdown has had an adverse impact on the economy; this is a serious concern as states are already cash strapped. All sources of revenue are drying up for them. The opening of liquor shops will help the states fiscally. But life is more important than the economy.

Ravi Teja Kathuripalli,

Hyderabad

Sir — Social distancing has become a farce because of the decision to open liquor shops. Having gone without alcohol for as long as they must have because of the lockdown, alcoholics are now unlikely to let social distancing stand between them and the bottle.

Perhaps this situation would not have arisen had the sale not been banned in the first place. When shops selling essentials were allowed to be kept open and function according to social distancing norms, there was little need to close liquor stores. If the contagion spreads like wildfire owing to the flouting of social distancing rules outside these shops, the blame will squarely be on the government.

Sukhamay Biswas,

Calcutta

Sir — The mad scramble and chaos that was seen outside shops selling alcohol are shocking. Those addicted to the bottle were so frenzied that they violated the social distancing norms which are of paramount importance in preventing the transmission of the coronavirus. On the very first day of the resumption of the sale of liquor, the total sale in various states crossed several crores. This will undoubtedly help government coffers.

But it must not be forgotten that around 85 per cent of the country’s workforce belongs to the unorganized sector; they are predominantly daily wage earners. Many of these people have no income at present. With restrictions on industrial and commercial activities, countless people are reeling under poverty. Large numbers of them are spending days slowly starving. The expenditure on alcohol in such a scenario is likely to hurt the dependent members of the family.

The success achieved in arresting the uncontrolled spread of the virus during the lockdown will come to naught if such unruly behaviour is allowed to persist. Irresponsible actions will spread the virus like wildfire. The government should have thought its decision to suddenly open liquor stores through. Surely excise duties and full coffers are not more important than human lives?

Tapash Chatterjee,

North 24 Parganas