Now, gold coins for culling stray dogs in Kerala

October 30, 2016

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 30: The alumni association of a prominent college has announced gold coins to the civic authorities which would kill the maximum number of stray dogs till December 10 in Kerala where four persons have lost their lives and over 700 have been injured in canine attacks in the last four months.

In the wake of increasing stray dog menace in the state, office bearers of Old Students Welfare Association of Pala-based St Thomas College said the "gift" would be given to the heads of panchayats and municipalities across the state where most stray dogs are killed.

The outfit had hit headlines recently for providing air guns at subsidised rates to deal with violent dogs.

Earlier, cash incentives were also offered by a state- based industrialist for culling dogs.

"We are planning to give the gift to panchayat presidents and municipality chairmen in the state who lead in killing maximum number of stray dogs. Our aim is to ensure the safety of people from violent canines," James Pambaykkal, Association General Secretary, told PTI.

Accusing the government of inactivity on the stray dog issue, he said the association was attempting to end the menace with the participation of people.

The gold coins would be bought with the contributions, collected from the representatives of the 1200 member- association, he said.

The weight of the coins would be decided according to the total amount collected, James, a physics post-graduate who passed out from the college in 1984, said.

He said the civic authorities, who apply for the gold coins, should submit day-to-day figures of the culled dogs.

The stray dog issue in the state came into limelight again after the gruesome killing of 90-year-old Raghavan who was mauled to death by a pack of street dogs at Varkala on October 26.

As per government figures, four persons were killed in the last four months in stray dog attacks and 701 people, including 175 children, were injured across the state.

This year, 53,000 people had to take treatment for dog bites in government medical college hospitals alone.

As many as 88,172 suffered dog bites in 2013 while it was 1,19,119 in 2014 and 47,156 in 2015 in the state, the figures added.

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Bap Ray Bap, If like what about Our Meenaka Akka????

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Over 58 lakh names dropped from draft voter list in Bengal ahead of polls

News Network

December 16,2025

The deletion of over 58 lakh names from West Bengal’s draft electoral rolls following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has sparked widespread concern and is likely to deepen political tensions in the poll-bound state.

According to the Election Commission, the revision exercise has identified 24 lakh voters as deceased, 19 lakh as relocated, 12 lakh as missing, and 1.3 lakh as duplicate entries. The draft list, published after the completion of the first phase of SIR, aims to remove errors and duplication from the electoral rolls.

However, the scale of deletions has raised fears that a large number of eligible voters may have been wrongly excluded. The Election Commission has said that individuals whose names are missing can file objections and seek corrections. The final voter list is scheduled to be published in February next year, after which the Assembly election announcement is expected. Notably, the last Special Intensive Revision in Bengal was conducted in 2002.

The development has intensified the political row over the SIR process. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress have strongly opposed the exercise, accusing the Centre and the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise lakhs of voters ahead of the elections.

Addressing a rally in Krishnanagar earlier this month, Banerjee urged people to protest if their names were removed from the voter list, alleging intimidation during elections and warning of serious consequences if voting rights were taken away.

The BJP, meanwhile, has defended the revision and accused the Trinamool Congress of politicising the issue to protect what it claims is an illegal voter base. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the ruling party fears losing power due to the removal of deceased, fake, and illegal voters.

The controversy comes amid earlier allegations by the Trinamool Congress that excessive work pressure during the SIR led to the deaths by suicide of some Booth Level Officers (BLOs), for which the party blamed the Election Commission. With the draft list now out, another round of political confrontation appears imminent.

As objections begin to be filed, the focus will be on whether the correction mechanism is accessible, transparent, and timely—critical factors in ensuring that no eligible voter is denied their democratic right ahead of a crucial election.

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