Stray cattle menace continues to haunt residents

Stray cattle wandering on city roads has become a serious menace and pose a threat to motorists as well as pedestrians. The menace is a prime cause behind road accidents and authorities need to tackle this problem before it gets out of proportion.

Stray cattle can be seen roaming around freely on the main roads and GT Road, causing disruption to the smooth flow of traffic. There are only couple of gaushalas in the city to take care of the stray cattle.

Non-milking cattle is left loose which has become a major cause of concern and the problems for impounding these cattle are many. First of all, there is paucity of trained human resource with the Municipal Corporation to catch and load them in a truck. Secondly, there is a lack of gaushalas. Thirdly, there are incidents when people from neighbouring towns and cities leave their cattle in other city.

According to the experts the use of oxytocin injection to increase the milk production, has rendered a large number of cows unproductive which are often left by their owners after they stop giving milk.

Khushwant Singh, city resident, said the authorities need to keep a strict check on the dairy farmers who abandon their cattle once they are unable to give milk.

“Strict action should be taken against the dairy farmers who abandon their cows. Microchips in cows should be installed to help identify their owners in case they are found abandoned on the road,” he said.

“These animals not only affect the smooth flow of traffic but also lead to fatal road accidents. Earlier, the stray animals were spotted near the old vegetable market but now they have come on roads and disrupting the flow of traffic and causing accidents,” said Lalit, another city resident from Jalandhar bypass.

A helper at one of the gaushalas at Pakhowal Road said most of the cows in the gaushalas are non-milching who have been abandoned by their owners.