The Puducherry Municipality personnel impounded 25 stray cattle on Tuesday night from JN Street, Kosakadai Street and Bharathi Street, leading to protests from dairy farmers. However, stakeholders are yet to hammer out a solution to the stray cattle menace.
K. Coumarane, Veterinary Medical Officer, Puducherry Municipality, said, “None of the dairy farmers in Puducherry have a licence, while it is mandatory to have one to keep a four-legged animal. Stray cattle cause road accidents and owners have been told several times not to let their cattle roam freely on the roads. Owners often pay fine and repeat the offence. With a licence, there are stipulations on the space where the cattle can be housed. Many of the farmers keep more cattle than they can.”
Dairy farmers said that with increasing urbanisation and loss of grazing area, they have no option but to let the cattle on the roads. They also alleged that there was insufficient medicine and feed with the Animal Husbandry and Animal Welfare Department. “Why does the municipality staff members impound our cattle at night? They are kept in the shelter in poor conditions and suffer,” one of the farmers said.
The stray cattle are found eating from garbage bins and often consume hazardous plastic bags, a staffer of the municipality said. Some of them suggested that a community shed be built for the farmers where the cattle can graze.
