Spread of LSD in stray cattle in Punjab worrying: Official

Chandigarh, September 11

The havoc created by cow vigilante groups over the years seems to have aggravated the lumpy skin disease (LSD) in the state.

As per the government’s own statistics, there are 1.86 lakh cows in 464 registered gaushalas. Five months ago, the then Minister for Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries Kuldeep Dhaliwal had claimed that 1.4 lakh stray animals were roaming without fodder and shelter and demanded Rs 500 crore from the Centre for the upkeep of strays.

Thousands of cattle abandoned yearly

Thousands of cattle are abandoned in the state every year. Earlier, the cattle were taken away by traders from neighbouring states. Now, due to the fear of cow vigilantes, hardly any trader takes them. —Daljit Singh Sadarpura, Chief, progressive dairy farmers’ association

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 The recent outbreak of the LSD has claimed lives of 17,200 head of cattle and has affected 1.73 lakh animals.

The biggest concern was the disease spread among stray cattle, however, significant mortality was witnessed in the gaushalas as well.

Keemti Bhagat, ex-chairman, Punjab Gau Seva Commission, said the mortality of 50 to 100 cows in several gaushals went unnoticed.

Nodal Officer for LSD Dr Rampal Mittal agreed that the disease spread in stray cattle emerged as a big concern. “As a result, the Department of Animal Husbandry vaccinated all the animals in the gaushalas within three days.”

The problem of stray cattle gained a new dimension in the past decade. After the emergence of cow vigilantes, who remained active till a few years ago, were reined in after media reports of extortion and destruction of cattle trade and dairy farming in the state.

As per experts, their few years’ activity has done irreparable damage to the agriculture and dairy farming.

Daljit Singh Sadarpura, chief, Progressive Dairy Farmers’ Association, “Due to the fear of cow vigilantes, hardly any trader comes to take the abandonedcattle. They are left to roam on roads and cause accidents, destroy crops and spread diseases. This is what we witnessed during the LSD outbreak.”