Chawla writes to top cop over stray animals

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 18

Days after the mysterious death of eight cows in the holy city, former Punjab minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla on Monday raised questions over the presence of stray animals on the road. She questioned why police officials were ignoring the menace by not taking action against the owners of such animals.

In a communiqué to Police Commissioner SS Srivastava, she pointed out that these stray cattle were one of the major reasons behind road mishaps and the police had turned a blind eye towards it. She said that the police had failed to trace the unknown accused who had poisoned the cows to death thereby creating a tension in the holy city.

The police have booked the owner of those slain eight cows under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act for leaving the bovines in open to feed on garbage, leading to their death. “Why the police didn’t taken action against the Municipal Corporation (MC) officials, who are duty bound to catch stray animals and shift them to shelters besides taking action against the owners?” she pointed out. She said a large number of stray animals still roam in the city.

“Will the police wake up when more animals die?” she questioned.

As many as eight cows, including a calf and two oxen, were found dead in Hathi Gate and Dasehra near Durgiana Temple here in the mid of February. An investigation revealed that Surinder Kumar, the owner, did not have any shelter for keeping the herd and used to keep them in the open. He served them chemically ripened rotten papaya that he had been getting for free. He used to leave the animals to feed on garbage in the congested lanes and near Lohgarh vegetable market, the police had established.

During autopsy, doctors found a huge quantity of polythene bags, Chinese string besides traces of calcium carbide (used for chemically ripening fruits) in the bodies of the cattle. However, it was still waiting the final viscera reports.

The police had also taken up the matter with the MC as dairies are banned inside the MC limits. Herd of milch animals near the Durgiana Temple is a common sight.