Rise in number of stray cows irks residents

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 26

The increase in population of stray animals, especially cows, is posing a problem to residents. A large number of cattle can be seen roaming on roads in the holy city. These animals cause accidents, besides slowing the traffic.

One can often spot cows sitting in middle of the road during daytime as well in the night. A resident said, “Cows sitting in middle of the road can lead to fatal mishaps during night when the visibility is quite low.”

“Despite various organisations running cow shelters the bovine population has increased considerably in the city. Mostly, stray cattle is found along roads as there is no proper mechanism for shifting them to gaushalas,” said a resident.

Stray cows feed on rotten vegetables thrown by vendors. After feeding they sit on footpaths and roads, which results in huge traffic jams.

Meanwhile, residents are hopeful that the problem would be solved in near future as the state government was constructing a cow shelter at Thathi village near here, whose work was near completion.

Stray animals sneak into city from nearby villages, where their owners abandon them because of their old-age or after they stop giving milk. A local resident said, “The ban on cow slaughter has increased the number of stray animals in the city. Earlier, these abandoned animals were shifted to abattoir, which helped in keeping their number under control.”

He said the government must find a viable solution to the problem as their population would increase further because of strict implementation of ban on slaughter.