The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Traffic stoppers of a different kind

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 13, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Traffic stoppers of a different kind

By Afshan Yasmeen

Traffic police driving away cattle as part of a drive in Bangalore. — Photo: K. Gopinathan

BANGALORE, SEPT. 12. They make their presence felt everywhere. You can find them on the streets, in bus stops and even at traffic junctions, causing inconvenience to citizens.

No, we are not talking about stray dogs. Bangaloreans now have to put up with livestock, especially cattle, strolling on the main roads. These stray animals obstruct traffic, which, at times, lead to road accidents.

Residents in areas such as Lingarajpuram, Banaswadi, Kachakaranahalli, Bharathinagar, Shivajinagar, Malleswaram, Vyalikaval, Vijaynagar, parts of Rajajinagar, Cubbonpet, Chickpet, Chamarajpet and even the upmarket Koramangala and Kanakanapalya in Jayanagar and surrounding areas are the most affected.

"These areas are home to people who own livestock. But the owners do not comply with the civic authorities' pleas not to leave them on the roads. The stray animals not only obstruct traffic but also dirty the roads with their dung. As a result, roads get slippery and vehicles skid," the former Bharatinagar corporator, M. Paree, said.

Though the city police and the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) are making efforts to check the menace, they are yet to drive home the message. In the absence of "official" cattle pounds in the city, the BMP has to rely on the Prani Daya Sangha, a voluntary organisation that runs a cattle shelter.

`A social problem'

The BMP Deputy Commissioner (Health), V.P. Ikkeri, says that the stray cattle menace is more of a social problem. "Old Bangaloreans still feel cow's milk is the best. That's why we find so many cattle here. We are aware of the problem but we are helpless. Unless the owners of livestock cooperate with us and keep the animals tied, we cannot do anything," he said.

Sources in the BMP said a ban on stray cattle could not be imposed as the Karnataka Municipal Corporations (KMC) Act had to be amended for that.

"Cattle owners can get their cows released from the Prani Daya Sangha shelter by paying a nominal fine of Rs. 100.

This is not an effective way of checking the menace as the animals are back on the streets again. Lack of adequate funds in the BMP to tackle the menace is also another reason for the increasing problem," the sources said.

Census

According to a recent veterinary census, the stray cattle population in the city is over 16,000. When H.T. Sangliana was the Police Commissioner, he had given the police personnel an additional responsibility of driving away cattle from the roads.

The BMP on its part had convened a meeting of cattle owners to instruct them not to leave the animals go astray.

"We had also instructed them to collect dung and hand it over to the garbage lorry and we find that cattle owners in Chickpet and Cubbonpet are following the directions," the Chief Health Officer, Nagarabet, said.

"Even Delhi is not spared of the stray cattle menace. The problem has to be tackled systematically. So, I have sanctioned money from my discretionary fund to purchase two special vans to lift stray cattle.

Besides, over 4,000 containers (one container for every four cows) to collect cow dung will also be purchased this year," the Mayor, P.R. Ramesh, said.

He said the problem in Bangalore was not as bad as in Chandigarh and Ludhiana where, on an average, one life was lost every week because of stray cattle.

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