Stray cattle menace ails city roads, residents demand action

Stray cattle continue to remain a persistent threat to the city’s residents. These animals cause accidents and are more often than not found sitting in the middle of busy roads, creating blockades. This problem is not just limited to the main roads, but also in crowded localities and narrows passageways, causing panic among the residents and commuters alike.

Although the Municipal Corporation (MC) has attempted to relocate these animals many times the efforts have not yielded the desired results as gaushalas in the city are already overcrowded due to which some of the stray cattle return to the streets. While over Rs 20 crore has been collected as cow cess, efforts to resolve the problem of stray cattle have proved to be inadequate.

Ashutosh, a resident of Aman Nagar, said stray cattle continue to roam the streets freely and are a threat to commuters, especially children. “My daughter had a narrow escape the other day as two stray bulls were running haphazardly on the road. The authorities concerned should keep a check on cattle and send these to gaushalas,” he added.

In January this year, several vehicles were damaged after a fight broke out between two stray cattle in Haibowal. It caused damages to nearby shops as well. “The animals had a fierce fight on a busy stretch of the road. Several parked vehicles were left dented and shops suffered damages. The incident caused a huge panic among the residents,” said Prateek, a resident of Haibowal.

“The MC’s lackadaisical attitude is endangering lives and causing financial losses to the public. This issue needs immediate attention and stray cattle should be moved to gaushalas and sheds,” said Harminder Singh, a commuter, who narrowly avoided an accident during the cattle fight.

Despite repeated promises by the civic body to control the stray cattle population, the issue remains unresolved, say residents who have been demanding stricter enforcement of cattle-catching drives and better infrastructure to prevent such incidents in the future.

Stray cattle create havoc for the commuters, particularly during night-time when visibility is low. Cattle wandering on the roads pose a grave threat to road safety, as drivers are often forced to swerve and brake suddenly to avoid hitting them, leading to accidents.