Cong demands policy on stray cattle, holds protest in Bikaner

The Congress staged a protest at a carcass dumping site in Bikaner, highlighting the plight of stray cattle and demanding a policy to take care of bovines.

The Congress staged a protest at a carcass dumping site in Bikaner, highlighting the plight of stray cattle and demanding a policy to take care of bovines.

Congress leaders said stray cattle feed on plastic that leads to their death. (HT Photo)

Congress leaders pointed out plastic remains in the cattle skeletons, taking a dig at the BJP government’s claims on cow protection.

“This is the reality when Rajasthan boasts of having the only cow ministry in the country and the state government is charging 10% cow cess as surcharge on stamp duty in the name of protection of the animal,” said district Congress leader Gopal Gehlot who led the protest, described as ‘satyagraha’, at the Jorbeer dumping site.

“Cows in BJP-ruled Rajasthan are struggling to live; each day around 50 cows die in Bikaner alone because of eating polythene or succumbing to a disease. This happens when there is a ban on polythene in Rajasthan,” Gehlot told HT on Sunday.

“Stray cows feed on garbage in the new and walled city and eat polythene, which is fatal. A large number of abandoned cows are either suffering from some infection or disease. One can find at least 30kg of plastic in the stomach of every cow or buffalo that dies in the city.”

The district Congress launched an agitation in July last year, demanding that the government protect the street cattle in Bikaner. Party leaders alleged that the BJP governments at the Centre and the state are creating communal differences in the name of cow protection, but the animal dies neglected on the streets.

“There are more than 15,000 stray cows in the city and the municipal corporation has about 5,000 bigha land reserved for this purpose,” Gehlot said.

Earlier, the Rajasthan high court had issued a notice to the state government after Gehlot filed a writ petition on the problem of stray cattle on city roads. He alleged that civic authorities have failed to deal with the problem.

Congress leader Janardan Kalla said, “Huge money has been generated by the government from cow cess, but it hasn’t taken any concrete step to provide relief from the problem of stray cattle in the city.”

The Congress announced an indefinite dharna from January 17 if its demands are not met.