Two years on, Rs 2.5 cr Jawali cow sanctuary remains a non-starter
The cow sanctuary at Khabbal village in the Haar Gram Panchayat of the Jawali Assembly constituency, built at a cost of Rs 2.50 crore, has remained unused even 30 months after its inauguration. Constructed on 256 kanals of land, the sanctuary was designed to accommodate 2,000 stray and abandoned cattle from the lower Kangra region. However, official bottlenecks and lack of willpower from the current state government have prevented it from becoming operational.
The sanctuary, inaugurated by then Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur in June 2022 after being completed within 15 months, has yet to serve its purpose. Ironically, the facility is located in the constituency of Chander Kumar, the current Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Minister. Despite efforts over the past two years, no tangible progress has been made to make the facility functional.
Local residents and animal lovers in lower Kangra have expressed growing frustration over the government’s inaction. Stray animals continue to roam highways and rural roads, causing accidents and damaging crops. Many farmers have even stopped planting cereal crops, such as maize, due to the increasing menace of stray cattle.
Reports suggest that over a year ago, the Animal Husbandry Department proposed a committee of six government officials and eight non-official members, headed by the SDM of Jawali, to manage the sanctuary. However, the plan failed to take off due to operational challenges.
The government currently provides Rs 700 per month to shelter each stray animal, but local residents have shown little interest in taking advantage of this scheme. According to Seema Guleria, Deputy Director of the Animal Husbandry Department, a proposal to run the sanctuary through an NGO has been submitted to the state government for approval. Once finalised, tenders will be floated to hand over its operation to the NGO.
Residents and farmers in the region continue to appeal to the government to expedite the process and make the cow sanctuary functional, emphasising its importance for public safety and agricultural sustainability.
