50,000 strays haunt Millennium City roads

In the gleaming Millennium City where skyscrapers rise and luxury apartments sell for crores, a far older sight dominates the streets — herds of stray cattle blocking gates, halting traffic and triggering accidents. Despite the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) and Manesar (MCM) spending nearly Rs 150 crore in the past five years, the menace continues to haunt residents, who say bovines remain as much a part of the cityscape as cyber hubs and malls.

Bovine crisis

Estimated cattle on streets: 50,000

Civic expenditure (5 years): Rs 150 crore

Fodder cost annually: ₹50 lakh

Hotspots

Wazirabad traffic signal

Anaj Mandi

New Colony

Hero Honda Chowk

Badshapur Sabzi Mandi

Sector 90, Sector 50

Faridabad-Gurgaon Toll

Manesar Bus Stand

Measures taken

2,000 cattle captured in last 6 months

Cost per capture: ₹1,000

2 gaushalas in Carterpuri & Chauma: 3,500 capacity

3,000 sent to shelters in Nuh

Road ahead (MCG plan)

New shelters under construction

Illegal dairies to be sealed

Penalties for leaving cattle on roads

Target: To control menace by 2026

Mridul Malhotra, a software engineer from Sector 82, recalls his daily ordeal: “We used to live in our ancestral house in Sector 4 Gurugram. After having a daughter, I shifted to a society in New Gurugram, hoping for a better civic life. Today, when she drives to tuitions, I stand at the society gates to escort her safely through the herd of bulls sitting outside.”

For many, the menace is more than inconvenience — it’s a threat. Commuters say stray cattle are one of the biggest causes of accidents on Dwarka Expressway, Southern Peripheral Road (SPR) and Mehrauli road near Sikanderpur.

Raman Sikri, vice-president at a local real estate company, says the contrast is striking. “If you are entering Gurugram from Mehrauli side, you are greeted in Sikanderpur by filth and grazing cattle. I once met with an accident here at night. It’s ironic — stray cattle against the backdrop of Cyber Hub’s skyscrapers. I’ve been using this road for six years and nothing has changed,” he said.

The civic agencies have identified nine major hotspots where cattle converge daily: Wazirabad traffic signal, Anaj Mandi, New Colony, Hero Honda Chowk, Badshapur Sabzi Mandi, Sector 90, Sector 50, Faridabad-Gurgaon Toll and Manesar Bus Stand. These areas routinely witness snarls, with animals lodged for hours.

Praveen Malik, president of United Association of New Gurugram, said, “There have been repeated instances of accidents and even attacks by stray cattle. Imagine staying in flats worth Rs 4-5 crore, but fighting your way through stray cattle and cow dung. Civic agencies spend money but we see no results. Illegal dairies in nearby villages let cattle loose on streets and no action is taken.”

A bovine census two years ago pegged Gurugram’s stray cattle population at nearly 50,000. Authorities say lack of shelters is the biggest hurdle.

Two gaushalas at Carterpuri and Chauma house 3,500 cattle. Over 3,000 were shifted to shelters in Nuh. Manesar’s cow shelter is already full.

Over the past six months, nearly 2,000 stray animals were captured by hired agencies at a cost of Rs 1,000 per animal. The MCG also spends Rs 50 lakh annually on fodder. Yet the numbers on roads hardly seem to shrink.

MCG Commissioner Pradeep Dahiya says change is on the way: “We have already started working on the issue. We have increased pickup and rehabilitation from vulnerable spots. The new sanitation plan approved by the Chief Principal Secretary to CM stresses stray management. We are building new shelters, shutting illegal dairies and penalising herders who leave cattle on roads. We will be able to curtail this menace by next year.”