Drive to contain cattle menace launched, 175 strays relocated in three days

The Municipal Corporation Faridabad (MCF) have removed as many as 175 stray cattle from the roads in the last three days as part of a drive to relocate them. The city is faced with a stray cattle menace as the population of these animals is rising at an alarming level, it is reported.

Sources say the number of these stray cattle could be over 25,000 but the authorities are yet to come out with an official number. A civic body official said the capacity of the cow shelters run by the civic body or the state government was very low in comparison to the requirement. Some reports claimed the total capacity of the three cow shelters, assisted by the civic body, was around 4,000 and all of these were already brimming.

Though cow shelters have also been developed by the Panchyayats at Nevada, Tigaon, Bhupani and Neemka villages which have a tentative capacity of up to 2,000, they are all lying unused due to a lack of proper management, it is revealed. Ravi Dubey of the People for Animals Trust (PFA), an NGO engaged in the welfare of animals, said while the number of stray cattle was around 25,000, the main issue was the management of cow shelters and a well-defined strategy. He said the lack of a census, non-tagging of non-mulching animals and poor infrastructure had led to a spurt in the menace over the years. Varun Sheokand, a resident who lodged a complaint with the office of the CM, DGP Haryana Police, DGP Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Director of Urban Local Bodies (ULB) over the issue recently, said that while hundreds of cows were left on the road by dairies located on the by-pass road here none of these had been penalised till date.

Om Dutt, Executive Engineer, MCF, said a drive had been launched as per the instructions of the state, and FIRs may be lodged against cattle or dairy owners, beside a penalty, if any lapse surfaced.