KANNUR: The greatest challenge before the police and administration while enforcing restrictions during the time of a health emergency is the ignorance from the part of the general public. A knowledgeable society could be handled easily and effectively, says Y Vinod Kumar, section officer at Kannur University, who penned the e-book "Mahamari - Prathirodhathinte Niyama Padhangal"(Pandemic - lessons in law and defense). An effort in assisting the public be responsible citizens, the e-book helps understand the legal aspects of restrictions being implemented currently.
"I have watched with astonishment the irresponsible behavior all around during the time of lockdown and the days that followed," said Vinod. "What intrigued me more is the sheer indifference of many who are considered educated. In fact, this led me to write the book for the need to better understand the situation we are in," said Vinod, who hails from Udma in Kasaragod.
According to him, the people around the world has faced and survived big disasters before as well. "We will survive this disaster too. But to overcome this the common man has to be vigilant and has to be sensible about the rules put in place. If a regular person is made aware about the rules they would definitely abide by them. Someone has to take the initiate to make them aware. It was in these circumstances which I decided to put down my thoughts regarding the issue," he said.
The 40-page long e-book deals with many subjects of prominence during the time of a medical emergency - like the Disaster Management Act, the Epidemic Diseases Act and Ordinances, the Indian Penal Code, the Kerala Police Act, and many more. The book also deals with the legal consequences of non-usage of face masks, violating physical distancing and quarantine norms, and spreading fake news during this time.
"If the public is made aware of the gravity of the situation the laws to be obeyed," said Vinod. "I have written this book in electronic form, so that, everyone could access in in these times. I have incorporated simplified Malayalam writing while explaining the laws, so that the public could easily grasp the idea being conveyed," he said.
The book was released some time back in a function held at Kannur University, presided by Vice-Chancellor Prof Gopinath Raveendran. ADGP Dr B Sandhya has written a foreword, praising the efforts of Vinod for trying to create awareness among the public.
The public can download this e-book free of cost from the link: http://www.tinyurl.com/mahamari .