Fear of accidents looms large as stray cattle on the loose
Satinder Pal Singh
Dera Bassi, July 16
It is not just bad roads, inadequately-lit thoroughfares or drink driving that is causing road accidents. Canines and cattle too have become a potential threat for motorists, especially in the Dera Bassi subdivision.
There is no respite in sight for residents from stray cattle menace as the authorities concerned lack grit to deal with the problem, which is compounding with each passing day.
Rakesh Kumar, 43-year-old, a resident of Saidpura village, near Dera Bassi, succumbed to his injuries on June 25 after his motorbike hit stray cattle, which darted across the road suddenly. Rakesh fell off the bike and sustained injuries leading to his death at the GMCH, Sector 32, Chandigarh.
This is not such first case. There are several instances, which go unreported, wherein accidents are caused by the stray cattle on the highway or on internal roads of the town.
Even the police treat all these cases as road accidents and maintain no separate record.
Though the government has set the ball rolling for developing the two towns — Zirakpur and Dera Bassi — as a smart cities, the uncontrollable stray cattle on roads is enough to play a spoilsport in letting the authorities achieve the targeted status.
All plans devised by the two Municipal Councils (MCs) in past decades to check the menace proved futile. The presence of stray cattle on roads mocks at the cow ranch, built in Dera Bassi at a cost of Rs 5 crore in May, 2106.
According to sources, the issue of stray cattle has been discussed in almost all the House meetings of the MCs, but the unavailability of adequate resources and manpower to catch stray animals has proved to be a major hindrance. Even after moving several proposals to deal with the menace, both the MCs have not come out with any concrete solution to deal with this crucial issue of public interest.
Sources added that the Dera Bassi Municipal Council had launched a drive to free the town from stray cattle menace, which attained alarming proportions last year and caused many accidents. The drive was halted midway.
Sukhjinder Singh Sidhu, Executive officer, Dera Bassi said, “Despite having a cow ranch, the problem nevertheless persists. The MC will soon float tenders to hire a contractor for catching stray cattle and curb the menace.”
