Stray cattle menace irks Patiala residents

Tribune News Service

Patiala, February 7

Stray cattle menace continues to pose threat to commuters and residents and often times resulting in injuries and deaths.

Despite many deaths and injuries to residents, the administration and Municipal Corporation have failed to address the issue and tackle the menace.

Ensure proper management

The MC and the district administration should ensure proper management of stray cattle at pounds. Appropriate action should be taken against farmers who abandon their cattle on roads when they get old or are not needed anymore. A city resident

A city resident said, “The MC and the district administration should ensure proper management of stray cattle at cattle pounds. Appropriate action should be taken against farmers, who abandon their cattle on roads when they get old or are not needed anymore. The presence of stray animals on the roads can lead to major accidents. Many people have been killed because of the menace.”

Sunpreet Singh Sidhu, an advocate, said, “The MC should ensure that stray cattle are shifted and kept at respective pounds. Commuters fail to spot stray animals on roads during night hours, which can lead to major accidents”.

A senior MC official said the corporation had carried out drives to catch stray animals this year. “A number of stray animals were caught during a special drive and transported to cow shelters and some other were caught thereafter. We will ensure the strays are removed from city roads,” he said.

A resident from near the old city said “Stray animals can be seen roaming around on roads on a regular basis, especially near the old vegetable market. Lack of a divider and presence of stray animals on the already congested road increases threat of accidents. The animals start fighting among themselves which becomes a cause of concern.”

MC officials said they were making sure that the stray animals are taken care of at respective pounds. “Stray animals found roaming on streets are shifted to cattle pounds,” an MC official said.