13 head of cattle die as roof of dairy collapses

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, September 22

In a tragic incident, 13 head of cattle died after the roof of a dairy collapsed at Dairy Complex, Haibowal, here last evening.

According to an owner of the Vasan Dairy where the incident took place, eight cows, one bull and four calves died after the debris from the collapsed roof fell on them. A pregnant cow has critically injured in the incident. The dairy owner said the roof had collapsed after rainfall around 7 pm yesterday.

Ravi, one of the owners of Vasan Dairy, said it was raining for the past two days due to which the roof of his dairy unit collapsed.

Need to conduct survey of ‘unsafe units’

On Friday, the roof of another dairy unit located in the neighbourhood had also collapsed and cattle feed got destroyed in the mishap. Notably, cracks are visible on walls and roofs of some other dairy units in the area but the authorities concerned are yet to pay any attention in this regard. Trees and plants have also grown on the walls of these units. There is a need to conduct a survey of such unsafe dairy units.

“I had received a call from a worker last evening about the incident. Those who were present on the site managed to rescue some cattle but 13 died in the incident,” he said.

He said four workers were present at the dairy but they were in another part of the unit and safe. An open drain is passing along the boundary wall of the dairy where the incident took place.

A dairy businessman said the drain was also weakening the foundation of buildings.

After the roof collapse, the choked drain water overflowed and its water accumulated inside Vasan Dairy due to which the work to clear the debris had also got affected. This morning, a JCB earth mover was deployed for clearing the debris and lifting the carcasses of the cattle buried under the debris.

Dr Chatinder Singh of the Animal Husbandry Department, who visited the site this morning, said an injured cow, which had received a spine injury, was pregnant.

On Friday, the roof of another dairy unit located in the neighbourhood had also collapsed and cattle feed got destroyed in the mishap.

Notably, cracks are visible on walls and roofs of some other dairy units in the area but the authorities concerned are yet to pay any attention in this regard. Trees and plants have also grown on the walls of these units.

Moreover, overcrowding of cattle in a number of units was another issue of concern at Dairy Complex. It seems various drains passing outside the dairies had not been cleaned for a long period.

Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu said the dairies were private units. He, however, said he would instruct officials to check the condition of dairy buildings and if any unsafe building was found, notices would be served to the owners concerned.

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