Mohali MC unfazed as stray cattle rule roads

There are an estimated 2,000 stray cattle in the town and officials have been able to catch only 200 animals in one year. This, when every year the civic body collects ₹50 lakh cow cess.

The roads of Mohali have become a safe haven for stray and domestic cattle these days as the civic body has not conducted any drive to remove the animals since March this year, given the pandemic.

The commuters said the MC officials were not taking the issue seriously and there was no political interference either as the MC House had been dissolved in April this year.(HT FILE)

These animals, mostly seen on main roads, lead to traffic chaos and even road accidents. The commuters said the MC officials were not taking the issue seriously and there was no political interference either as the MC House had been dissolved in April this year.

Every evening, one can see herds near the municipal corporation office in Sector 68. The other affected areas are Phase 11, Industrial Area Phase 9, Airport Road, Sector 76 to 80, Sector 82, and Phase 9. Meanwhile, at least five people have lost their lives in accidents involving stray cattle in the past one year.

In the last five years, at every House meeting the issue of stray cattle is raised and the officials resolve to make Mohali a ‘cattle-free’ city, but the ground reality is different. In the last one year, not even a single effective drive has taken place. There are an estimated 2,000 stray cattle in the town and officials have been able to catch only 200 animals in one year. This, when every year the civic body collects ₹50 lakh cow cess.

Former deputy mayor Manjit Singh Sethi said, “In August 2018, the civic body had even increased the fine from ₹5,000 to ₹20,000, but again in September last year, the fine was slashed to ₹5,000. The MC had even decided that apart from the fine, the owner will have to pay ₹500 per day per animal for its fodder, but not a single owner has been penalised. And no wonder, since the MC has just one truck and a staff of three to deal with the menace.”

Sham Lal, chief sanitary inspector and in-charge of stray cattle catching drive, said the drive could not be conducted due to Covid-19, and they were short on staff, too.

In March this year for the first time, the MC roped in a Rajasthan-based private firm to catch stray cattle and even signed an agreement with them, but the work has not begun.

Even though MC officials have been claiming that they have lodged cases against cattle owners for leaving their animals on the streets, no record is available with the civic body.

MC has one gaushala in Industrial Area, Phase 1, with a capacity of 700 animals and it is full at the moment. Four years ago, there was a proposal to make a new cattle pound, but nothing was done.