Dangerous drive: Cattle menace on the rise on Kiratpur-Manali highway

Hamirpur, March 9

The cattle menace on the Kiratpur-Manali four-lane highway has become a nightmare for the commuters since it was thrown open to traffic in October last year. Herds of stray cattle can be seen roaming on or along the highway, mostly between Jagatghana and Dehar villages. There are some cow shelters near this highway, but stray cattle can be spotted everywhere on this very busy road.

The risk increases manifold at night as the drivers often fail to spot the animals present on the roads, often leading to serious accidents. To make matters worse, stray animals venture into the two tunnels on this section of the highway, making it doubly dangerous at night.

Ramesh Kumar, a resident of Dehar village, said stray cattle often enter their fields and destroy crops. He added that the stray animals were not only ruining the farmers’ fields, but were reason behind road accidents on the highway as well.

Veena Kumari, resident of a nearby village, said owners abandon their cattle when they stop producing milk and their number was increasing day by day. She said people were also waiting for the government to launch a scheme to purchase milk and cowdung.

Having made a promise to this effect before the elections, CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu reiterated it after coming to power, saying the government would procure milk and cowdung from the farmers, and that this would help to end the stray cattle menace in the state.