Stray animals rule the roost on Panipat roads
Mukesh Tandon
Panipat, February 6
Despite tall claims by the Municipal Corporation (MC) to control the menace of stray animals, herds of cattle can be seen roaming freely on NH-44, the internal roads of the city and the streets of colonies here. The animals pose a danger to the lives of residents as well as commuters.
The MC has launched special operations to catch stray animals in the textile city several times in the last four years but it has failed to curb the menace. Some people have even lost their lives due to these animals as they suddenly appear on roads and commuters, especially two-wheeler riders, fail to control their vehicles and meet with accidents.
Harish, a 22-year-old Nepalese youth, had recently died on the Assandh road flyover as a stray animal appeared on the road suddenly. Many others have also met a similar fate. Ashu, a kabaddi player from Burshyam, Amit, a student of MDU, who met with a mishap near the Saudapur village bus stand, a woman Rani of Jhatipur village, Manpreet, alias Manni of Purewal Colony, who died in an accident on NH-44 near Sector 6, an elderly woman named Sheela of Ekta Colony, Devi of Virat Nagar and Ajay, a Nepalese youth, are among those who have been killed in road mishaps due to stray animals. In addition to these incidents, several people have also sustained serious injuries in mishaps in the past few months.
Advocate Mehul Jain, founder of Aarambh Foundation, said stray animals have become a big nuisance in the city. They roam freely in the middle of roads and lead to accidents, especially during foggy days.
While the MC has launched several campaigns to address the issue, these get paced up only when an accident occurs and after that, these campaigns die down, Mehul said.
Several people have lost their lives or many have got injured due to the lethargic attitude of MC authorities, he added.
Rajroop Pannu, president, Gau Abhyarnya, said as many as 4,200 animals have been sent by the MC to the Gau Abhyarnya at Nain village in the past four years.
The MC gives Rs 5 lakh per month for fodder for these cattle in the Gau Abhyaranya at present, he added.
The Rohtak MC is only giving Rs 33.50 per cattle head, whereas other municipal corporations are giving higher amounts of money. The Sonepat MC is giving Rs 48 per cattle head, the Gurugram MC is giving Rs 67 per cattle head, Pannu said. DC Virender Dahiya is supporting the Abhyarnya, Pannu added.
MC Joint Commissioner Mani Tyagi said that the population of stray animals is very high but the MC is committed to controlling the menace. Teams are being deployed to catch stray animals on a daily basis, Tyagi added.
