Political interference scuttles MC plans to shift dairies

Even locals put up with the inconvenience due to stray cattle which have put their lives and limbs in peril, the Amritsar municipal corporation has decided to shift dairies situated within municipal limits to the city outskirts to put an end to the problem.

Even locals put up with the inconvenience due to stray cattle which have put their lives and limbs in peril, the Amritsar municipal corporation has decided to shift dairies situated within municipal limits to the city outskirts to put an end to the problem.

The MC attributes the presence of stray cattle in the city to the presence of these dairies within Amritsar limits, but maintains that political interference is holding it back from initiating action in this regard.

The MC officials claimed that a large number of dairies operating from within the city had since been relocated to the outskirts a few years ago, a few dairies were still functioning in Amritsar that let their cattle loose on the city roads during daytime.

Interestingly, the MC officials claimed that they had identified a few such dairies and intended to start the process of shifting to the outskirts soon, they have no data with them to support their claim.

It is pertinent to mention here that many stray cattle are those abandoned by their owners for different reasons, including preference for foreign breeds.

The areas bedeviled by the stray cattle menace include IDH market, Ranjit Avenue and Vallah and localities around the fruit and vegetable markets.

Sources said these strays parked themselves comfortably bang in the middle of busy roads, which not only blocked normal flow of traffic but also posed a threat to public safety. The menace was also proving a major challenge to the greening drive of the district administration, since these strays devoured newly planted saplings.

Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora claimed that many stray cattle seen on the city roads were let loose by owners of dairies within the city limits. He claiemd that the MC had identified some dairies still operating from within municipal limits. "We intend to start the process of shifting these dairies to the city outskirts, but face challenges in the form of political interference. We are trying our best to deal with such challenges," he said.