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Chandigarh MC to invite new firms to maintain gaushalas
Chandigarh Mayor Anup Gupta, in a meeting, said after receiving complaints from local residents, he had made a surprise visit to the Sector 25 gaushala and had found that there was no water, and fodder for the stray cattle in gaushalas
Unsatisfied with the upkeep and maintenance of the cow shelters in Sectors 25 and 45, and Maloya, the municipal corporation (MC) has planned to invite new organisations for their maintenance.
The civic body currently has four gaushalas, located in Sectors 25 and 45, Maloya and Industrial Area (see box).
In a finance and contract committee (F&CC) meeting held recently, the corporation tabled an agenda for the extension of the contract of the NGOs and organisations for the maintenance of the gaushalas. However, the officials were of the view that fresh tenders be floated to invite new firms to maintain the spaces.
Mayor Anup Gupta, in the meeting, said after receiving complaints from local residents, he had made a surprise visit to the Sector 25 gaushala and had found that there was no water and fodder for the stray cattle.
The cleanliness of the gaushala was also unsatisfactory, he added.
The city councillors had also raised the issue of non-functional CCTV cameras at the gaushalas, including that at the Industrial Area, which is maintained by MC itself.
MC commissioner Anindita Mitra asked the officials to ensure installation of CCTV cameras having IP network, to allow monitoring from their mobile phones.
In the meantime, while tenders to invite the new organisations are opened, the MC has extended the existing contract for two more months.
Additionally, the councillors also raised concerns over the rising problem of stray cattle in the city, following which the MC recently decided to deploy three additional cattle catching units, bringing the total up to four.
“A high number of cattle are seen entering from Sector 48 and moving to different areas. People also drop eatables on roadsides for cattle which results in accidents, especially at night,” the councillors added.
Earlier in March, the civic body had hired a private firm, Trinix Impex Private Limited, to lift cow dung from the city’s gaushalas. After lifting solid waste from MC’s four gaushalas, the firm processes the dung to make fuel. Previously, almost all of the solid waste from MC’s cattle pounds was being dumped in seasonal rivulets, often resulting in choked storm sewers and drains.
