Wild growth of grass on central verges draws stray cattle
Charanjit Singh Teja
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, August 5
Wild growth of grass on the central verges of city roads is attracting stray cattle nowadays. A number of cows and bulls can be seen grazing alongside the central verges and footpaths. The corridor of Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) has become a favourite place for the stray cattle with bus service remaining suspended for the last over one year. A number of stray animals can be seen grazing inside the BRTS corridor. Lush green grass on both sides of the grills and green areas near Metro stations has been attracting the stray animals. The residents claimed that the movement of cattle on roads leads to accidents and sometimes even the vehicles get damaged by stray cattle. Most of the time, stray cows gather around garbage collection points, fodder sellers and outside gaushalas. With rain in past few days, grass and weeds have flourished on the central verges making the cattle visible on roads.
Last year, on the directions of the state government, the Municipal Corporation conducted a survey of stray animals in the city and found that a total of 535 stray cattle were roaming around on roads. Santokh Singh, a resident of Majitha Road, claimed that a herd of six stray cattle was roaming near Guru Nanak Avenue. He was worried that in case they attacked commuters, then who will be held responsible?
Residents of the walled city area often witness traffic jams due to movement of stray cattle from Lohgarh to Gaushala. Kamal Sharma, a local resident, stated that the authorities are in deep slumber and wake up only after an untoward incident takes place. The residents alleged that even after collecting cow cess on various items, the government has failed to make proper arrangements for stray cattle. A local activist recently demonstrated against the government for providing shelter to all the stray cows.
The Punjab Government introduced cow cess in 2016 and promised to build 500 cow sheds in different districts. The government started collecting cow cess, but failed to build the required number of sheds. The Punjab Government charged people Rs 100 on oil tankers, Rs 10 on a bottle of liquor, Rs 5 on a bottle of country-made liquor, Re 1 on a bag of cement, two paisa per unit on electricity bills, Rs 1,000 on AC marriage palace, Rs 500 on non-AC marriage palace, Rs 1,000 on buying a car and Rs 200 on buying a two-wheeler.
