Cow protest disrupts Kharar MC meet

Cows literally came home as the Kharar Municipal Council held its House meeting after more than six months. Their moos sent everyone in a tizzy as the councillors looked around even before the clock struck 12 in the noon.

Barely 15 minutes into the assembly with MC president Jaspreet Kaur Longia in the chair, the House meeting was disrupted by unexpected guests as three truckloads of cattlehead came calling at the main gate of the office on a bright Friday morning.

Members of the Shri Ambika Devi Gau Samiti had taken it upon themselves to protest against the civic body as their proposed Gaushala has been hanging fire for 10 years. “Despite having Rs 96 lakh fund and 17 acres of land, the council has been sitting over the project even as stray cattle roam around in every nook and corner of the town,” the protesters alleged. The Kharar Municipal Council does not have a single cow shelter in the town as cattle are languishing in roads, leading to road accidents daily.

“If the MC is unable to construct a cowshelter they should hand over the land to us. There are enough philanthropists in the town to get the work done,” said Bhupendra Sharma. Kharar MC Executive Officer Ravi Kumar Jindal and the staff tried to pacify the protesters but they remained adamant till a written assurance was given to them. “The MC officials have communicated to us that Rs 96 lakh have been received for the project and the work has already begun, but one side of the wall collapsed due to the digging work of Kajauli water works. The new boundary wall will soon be erected some distance away from the pipeline,” the protesters said, calling off their protest an hour later.