Despite drives, stray cattle menace continues in Gurugram

Despite efforts to relocate stray cattle, over 6,000 roam Gurugram's streets, raising safety concerns among residents and prompting calls for urgent action.

Despite multiple drives to relocate stray cattle into animal shelters, as many as 6,153 animals continue to roam freely on the city’s streets,according to official data.

Local residents have once again flagged the menace, urging authorities to take urgent and effective measures to control cattle population in the city. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

Local residents have once again flagged the menace, urging authorities to take urgent and effective measures to control cattle population in the city.

According to official data, accessed by HT, Gurugram tops the cities in Haryana with the highest number of stray cattle, followed by Manesar and Hisar with 2,000 cattle each.

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) officials shared that around 2,433 stray cattle had been shifted to animal shelters between January and December 2025. During the same period, a total of 24 challans were issued against stray cattle owners, resulting in penalties amounting to ₹2.78 lakh, they added.

However, residents have raised serious safety concerns regarding the growing stray cattle menace, highlighting risks for both the public and the animals.

Savita Devi, a resident of Sector 46, said: “There are too many stray cattle in the sector. While driving, you might suddenly find a herd blocking the road, which could lead to accidents. This is a major safety concern for both residents and the animals. Additionally, illegal garbage dumps are scattered across the city, and it’s common to see cows feeding on the waste, including plastic,”

Dr Naresh Kumar, joint commissioner at MCG, said the civic body has been making continuous efforts to control the stray cattle menace, but a large number of animals roaming the city are actually owned by dairy operators. “We have four vehicles deployed to pick up stray cattle. However, members of the cow mafia often intervene and take the animals away. They arrive in disguise and even smear mud or cow dung on vehicle number plates to avoid identification. Despite this, we are continuing our efforts,” he said.

As per the officials records, accessed by HT, the city aims to declare itself stray cattle-free by December 2026.

Meanwhile, neighbouring Faridabad and Manesar are also grappling with a stray cattle menace. According to official records, Faridabad has around 1,000 stray cattle, while Manesar accounts for nearly 2,000.

Authorities in both the districts have set a target to make their cities stray-cattle free by December 2026. Officials shared that the MCG has two animal shelters, one each in Carterpuri and Silani.

In December, the MCG decided to intensify the ongoing “stray cattle-free Gurugram” drive and announced stricter enforcement and supervision to curb stray cattle presence on city roads. The corporation also announced that those obstructing the drive would face strict legal action, including registration of FIRs.