With cases of lumpy skin disease (LSD) on the rise in the tricity area, Sector 61 residents have alleged that diseased stray cows were roaming around in the sector, but authorities were not rescuing them.
Claiming that they had tried to reach out to the municipal corporation and UT administration officials, but to no avail, Resident Welfare Association (RWA) president Vinit Singh Chauhan said, “Diseased cows with lumps are roaming around in our sector. The authorities must rescue these abandoned animals,” he said.
Members of the Sector 61, Resident Welfare Association, Chandigarh Residents Association Welfare Federation (CRAWFED) general secretary Dr Anish Garg and former mayor Poonam Sharma (who is also CRAWFED’s legal adviser) inspected an illegal cowshed in the area, where many bovines were seen exhibiting symptoms of lumpy skin disease.
“A proper gaushala should adopt these cows, who are at present, living in an illegal cow shed strewn with polythene.We will submit the videos we recorded to the police so that the accused may be brought to book,” said Garg.
MC officials say while they are aware of diseased stray cattle, there was not much they could do as the MC-run gaushalas are at capacity.
{{/usCountry}}MC officials say while they are aware of diseased stray cattle, there was not much they could do as the MC-run gaushalas are at capacity.
{{/usCountry}}UT animal husbandry department joint director Dr Kanwarjit Singh Bhangoo said, “Several cattle owners from Punjab and Haryana allow their cattle to graze near the border. Since the cattle are not from the city, it will not be right to take these animals into gaushalas in the city as it may affect the health of other cows.”
As the contagion is vector borne, the department has carried out fumigation in border areas of the city and villages to check the mosquito population, which is increasing the spread of the virus, Dr Kanwarjit Singh Bhangoo said.