Dharamsala: After death of 2 cattle, activists allege poor upkeep of cow shelter
Lalit Mohan
Dharamsala, April 2
The cow shelter being run by the Dharamsala Municipal Corporation has run into controversy, with animal rights activists alleging that animals kept there were in a pitiable condition.
Commissioner cites lack of funds
As I have only joined recently, I inquired into the matter once it came to my notice. The fact that came to the fore was that the land of the cow shelter was in the name of an NGO and its upkeep has been handed over to the MC. The MC has no budget for the upkeep of the shelter. — Zafar Iqbal, Dharamsala MC Commissioner
Talking to The Tribune, Dheeraj Mahajan, an activist from Dharamsala, alleged that two cows had died in the shelter due to unknown reasons on Saturday. For two days, the dead cows kept lying at the shelter and nobody removed their carcasses. The condition of other cows in the shelter was also very poor, he alleged.
Mahajan said he had taken up the matter with the Dharamsala Municipal Commissioner, who “forced” the people deputed in the shelter to remove the carcasses. The commissioner had also assured that the condition of the cow shelter would be improved, he added. Dharamsala MC Commissioner Zafar Iqbal said he had personally visited the shelter when the matter was brought to his notice. The conditions in the cow shelter were not good, he added.
“As I have only joined recently, I inquired into the matter once it came to my notice. The fact that came to the fore was that the land of the cow shelter was in the name of an NGO and its upkeep has been handed over to the MC. The MC has no budget for the upkeep of the shelter,” the Commissioner said.
He added: “We are still handling the situation with our meagre resources and three people have been deputed at the shelter. I have ordered a Detailed Project Report (DPR) to be made for the shelter. We shall try to source funds from the Animal Husbandry Department or as donations from people. Things will improve in the coming days.”
The case of the cow shelter of Dharamsala MC was not an isolated one. The condition at most of the shelters in Kangra district was poor despite the fact that the state government had imposed a cow cess on liquor bottles in the state.
As per estimates of the Animal Husbandry Department, in Kangra alone, there were 14,000 stray cows. The numbers of stray cows has been increasing as farmers abandon these after they stop giving milk.
