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Mohali MC chief seeks police protection for cattle-catching squad
Mohali MC commissioner Navjot Kaur wrote to Mohali senior superintendent of police (SSP) Sandeep Garg, asking him to ensure safety of the cattle-catching teams so that such incidents are averted in future
Following an attack on the cattle-catching squad of the Mohali municipal corporation (MC), its commissioner Navjot Kaur on Thursday sought police protection for such civic body teams.
She wrote to Mohali senior superintendent of police (SSP) Sandeep Garg, asking him to ensure safety of the cattle-catching teams so that such incidents are averted in future.
At least 10 cattle owners armed with sticks had allegedly assaulted the MC team out to capture their animals grazing in Sohana parks on Wednesday, leaving three members injured.
The MC chief said, “No one is allowed to take law in their hands. Besides seeking legal action against the attackers, we have also pressed for a security detail for the cow-catching teams.”
The injured team members are Varinder Singh, Dalbir Singh and Rakesh Kumar, while their colleague Sonu had managed to escape from the spot.
Manjit Singh, a cattle-catching contractor, said the team had gone to Sohana following the information on stray cattle in the area.
Sohana station house officer Sumit Maur said the statement of the injured was yet to be recorded as they left the hospital after the treatment.
A prolonged problem
Stray cattle menace has been increasing with the expansion of the city. It is claimed that some dairy owners leave their cattle for grazing and these animals stray onto roads, leading to accidents.
Cattle-catching teams often come under attack when they try to capture the animals, which some MC officials say is due to the heavy penalty imposed on the defaulters.
The civic body slaps a fine of ₹5,000 on owners whose animals are caught roaming around.
Among the areas highly affected by the menace are Sohana, Mataur, Shahimajra, Mohali, Jagatpura, Balongi, Madanpura Chowk, and Phase 2.
In 2017, the then Congress MLA Balbir Singh Sidhu had conducted a surprise check after getting complaints of MC staff being hand-in-glove with cattle owners. One MC employee was also suspended.
It was in 2018 when the then mayor Kulwant Singh had demanded details of the first information reports (FIRs) registered against owners of stray cattle let loose in the city.
The Mohali MC had in 2019 roped in a private firm to catch the stray cattle. The decision to this effect was made at a meeting of the finance and contracts committee.
The next year, Mataur residents had protested against the cattle owners for releasing their animals at night.
The MC had on December 1, 2022, launched a special drive and allotted a fresh one-year tender to remove stray cattle from city roads to Manjeet Singh.
As per the contract, the MC will pay him ₹950 per animal.
The municipal commissioner has urged residents to contact on 1800-1370-007 or 94637-75070 if they have any complaints regarding stray cattle.
