Stray cattle catch MC sleeping

Rajinder Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 4

The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has failed to tackle the stray cattle menace in the city, especially in southern sectors.

The death of a 45-year-old man after his scooter rammed into a stray cattle on the road separating Sectors 52 and 61 on January 2 has once again highlighted the stray cattle menace.

A visit to Sectors 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 52 and 61 during night hours revealed that stray cattle roam freely on city roads, posing a risk to motorists. The MC drive to catch stray cattle does not seem to have paid off.

Dileep Singh, a resident of Sector 47, said, “During fog, it becomes difficult to spot stray cattle, especially buffaloes, at night.” 

“I had a narrow escape on a number of occasions while riding a two-wheeler on the road from Tribune Chowk to Sector 47,” he said. 

Echoing similar views, Rajinder Rawat, a resident of Sector 45, said every night, stray cattle can be seen on the road between Burail village and Sector 45-D. The MC should deal strictly with people who let their cattle roam on roads during night hours, he said.

City Congress general secretary Sandeep Bhardwaj, who resides in Sector 48, said the MC had no mechanism to check the stray cattle menace. The drive conducted by the MC was a  mere eyewash. In Sector 47 and 48, a large number of stray cattle roam freely at night, he said. 

• April 6, 2013: Thirty three-year-old Harpreet Singh Sodhi, a resident of Sector 45-C, was killed when the motorcycle he was riding hit a stray cattle on the road separating Sectors 49 and 46. He was the sole breadwinner of his family.
• August 16, 2013: 26-year-old Avinash Kumar, who was on his way back home on a motorcycle, rammed into a stray cattle on August 16 around 10.45 pm near Sector 45. He succumbed to his injuries at the Government Medical College and Hospital in Sector 32 on August 20.
• August 17, 2013: Atma Ram, a resident of Sector 46-A, who was working as a cook at a mess in Hallo Majra, met with an accident after his scooter hit a stray cattle near the Sector 31/32/46/47 roundabout on the night of August 17. After duty, he was returning home in Sector 46-A when the mishap took place. He succumbed to his injuries on August 22 at the GMCH-32.