We see them everywhere; carefully threading their way across traffic signals, diligently chewing through garbage or blithely sitting in the middle of the road, they are now even at the heart of Indian politics — the holy cow. But what they face is an unholy reality on the city’s streets.
One of the city’s most visible citizens, they stand the risk of being hit or causing accidents while also being exposed to dangerous food. However, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike’s efforts at cracking down on stray cattle through increased penalties have only resulted in repeat offenders who are willing to pay a fine and then again leave their cows free to roam the city.
Unfortunately, right-wing groups, who make a hue and cry about protecting cows, haven’t protested against those who allow them to wander on the streets.
“We have increased the penalty from Rs. 100 to Rs. 600 for big cows and from Rs. 50 to Rs. 300 for small ones. There is nothing more we can do. We have to hand over the cows once the penalty is paid, “said Dr. K.A. Nanjappa, deputy director, Animal Husbandry Department.
His department has five special cow-catching vehicles, only two of which are functional. The cows can be picked up only when there are complaints. The complaints and complainants vary. Cows might chew off a small shopkeeper’s merchandise, pedestrians and motorists run the risk of slipping on cow dung and traffic cops have to deal with the jams caused by them.
“People milk their cows in the morning and then leave them to graze wherever they feel like. The animals wander around till evening,” said L. Kantharaj, assistant director, east zone, animal husbandry. He added, “When we take a cow away, the owners sometimes get to know. They reach the spot, argue with us and try to get the animal back. If this fails, they go to the cattle pound, hand over the fine and collect the animal. The next day, the same cow will be wandering again.”
“There are no ‘stray’ cows. They all belong to someone,” says Chenga Reddy, assistant director, south zone.
