Gaushalas packed, Panchkula MC stares at stray problem

Amit Bathla

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Panchkula, May 2

With gaushalas full in Panchkula, the stray cattle problem seems to have gone out of hand. Left with no option, the local Municipal Corporation has requested the Mata Mansa Devi gaushala and the Sukhdarshanpur gaushala to accommodate 100 (50 each) head of cattle.

Since the election of the incumbent Mayor in January 2021, 1,876 head of cattle have reportedly been shifted to gaushalas. However, a large number of stray cattle can still be seen roaming on roads, posing a threat to commuters.

A cattle-free Panchkula was one of seven agenda items pushed by the Vidhan Sabha Speaker and local MLA Gian Chand Gupta to make the city world class. Despite regular review meetings, there is no visible impact on the ground.

Furthermore, Mayor Kulbhushan Goyal had promised to make the city cattle-free within three months of being voted to power during campaigning for the civic body poll as a BJP candidate. Subsequently, a resolution was passed at the first meeting of the MC General House to make Panchkula free of stray cattle by March 2021.

MLA Gupta said they had made some progress over a period of time, but lost the gains due to abandoning of unproductive cattle in the district from the border states of Himachal and Punjab. The cattle entered city areas, he added.

He admitted that gaushalas across the city had reached their maximum capacity, constraining the civic body from impounding more from streets. As a result, the problem had worsened.

“It’s my dream to make Panchkula cattle-free. I will take every possible step to achieve this objective,” he said, pinning hopes on the completion of Nandishala at Kot village.

The foundation stone of Nandishala, which is to be built on around 9 acres at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore and can accommodate nearly 1,000 head of cattle, was laid in January earlier this year.

Rakesh Aggarwal, a member of the Panchkula Vikas Manch, said, “There is no sector or market in the city where you don’t find herds of stray cattle. Their presence at garbage bins searching for food is a common sight. Cattle-free Panchkula was just a gimmick to deceive voters during the civic body poll as the situation has gone from bad worse.”

In an RTI reply, the state government had stated that at least 16 lives were lost in accidents involving stray cattle in Panchkula between February 2018 and March 2020.

‘Cattle-free Panchkula a gimmick’

There is no sector or market in the city where you don’t find herds of stray cattle. Their presence at garbage bins searching for food is a common sight. Cattle-free Panchkula was just a gimmick to deceive voters during the civic body poll as the situation has gone from bad worse. — Rakesh Aggarwal, member, Panchkula Vikas Manch