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Despite daily drives, stray cattle continue to roam Lucknow roads
LMC animal welfare officer Abhinav Verma said the corporation received information about the incident on Saturday and immediately deployed teams to trace the stray cattle involved in the attack. Three stray cattle have been caught during the operation. “We will register an FIR against the person who abandoned or allowed the cattle to roam freely,” Verma said.
A child attacked by a stray cattle in Arjunganj has once again exposed the continuing presence of abandoned cattle on Lucknow’s roads, even as the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) claims to remove around 20 stray animals every day. The incident has also renewed focus on the unchecked operation of illegal dairies and the lack of effective action against cattle owners accused of abandoning animals on public roads.
LMC animal welfare officer Abhinav Verma said the corporation received information about the incident on Saturday and immediately deployed teams to trace the stray cattle involved in the attack. Three stray cattle have been caught during the operation. “We will register an FIR against the person who abandoned or allowed the cattle to roam freely,” Verma said.
The incident is the latest in a series of stray cattle attacks and road accidents reported across the state capital in recent years.
Daily drives fail to curb menace
According to LMC officials, the civic body catches nearly 20 stray cattle every day. However, the number of animals roaming roads, intersections and markets remains high. Officials attribute the problem to owners abandoning unproductive cattle and the continued operation of illegal dairies.
Illegal dairies continue unchecked
Despite regular anti-stray cattle drives, illegal dairies continue to operate across several parts of the city.
During an HT visit, stray cattle were found roaming near Kalyan Mandapam in Mahanagar, Dalibagh, Narhai and Power House Crossing. Illegal dairies were also found operating in Lalkuan and Dalibagh despite repeated complaints from residents.
Officials admitted that inadequate enforcement against illegal dairies remains one of the biggest hurdles in controlling the stray cattle problem.
Only 50 licensed cattle owners
Official records show LMC has issued only around 50 valid licences for keeping cattle within city limits, with each licence allowing a household to keep a maximum of two animals. Last year, around 70 licences had been issued, suggesting that many cattle owners continue to operate outside the licensing system.
Verma said anti-stray cattle drives are currently not being carried out in parts of Cantonment, Gomti Nagar Extension and Arjunganj due to jurisdictional issues following the expansion of municipal boundaries.
No updated census
The absence of updated data has further complicated the issue. An official from the Animal Husbandry Department said a livestock census was completed last year, but the figures have not yet been officially released, leaving authorities without an updated estimate of the stray cattle population in Lucknow.
According to LMC officials, more than 11,500 stray cattle are currently housed at Kanha Upvan and other gaushalas across the city.
Civic officials acknowledge that unless illegal dairies are shut down and cattle owners are held accountable for abandoning animals, the problem is unlikely to ease.
