The Coimbatore Corporation on Tuesday celebrated ‘Mattu Pongal’ at its cattle yard at Devangapet.
According to sources, the conservancy workers in-charge of the bulls there, took the animals, gave them a good wash, painted the horns and decorated them with shawls and other materials. This is not the first time that the civic body is celebrating ‘Mattu Pongal’, an event aimed at recognising and thanking the animals for their support.
The civic body has 51 bulls, of which 39 are used for drawing carts employed in solid waste management programme. Each of the 39 bulls lift two to three tonnes waste a day from around 20 of the 100 wards. The remaining 12 bulls are aged and have retired.
Of those one suffered from cancer and was operated upon successfully.
The sources also said that each of the conservancy workers would spent over Rs. 500 on the animals as part of the Mattu Pongal celebrations.
They brought back the animal to the cattle yard around evening for treat. The civic body treated the animals to sugar cane, green fodder and maize.
The sources said that the civic body constantly monitored the health of the animals.
All those working were over 400 kg each and were in good health. The Corporation bought the animals from a shandy in 1996 when they were four of five years old.
And, added that the civic body was the only Corporation in the State to employ the animals.
The Corporation had planned to phase out the use of animals. It had floated tender for the purchase of small goods carriers to carry waste.
Livestock week
Veterinary University Training and Research Centre (VUTRC), Coimbatore, is celebrating “Livestock Week” on the eve of Pongal Festival this month. VUTRC in Saravanampatty is a constituent unit of Tami Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chennai.
A free training programme on ‘Desi chicken rearing’ for farmers, self-help group women and entrepreneurs will be conducted on January 24.
The programme includes lectures, demonstration on brooding, feeding, vaccination, handling of eggs, artificial incubation of eggs and hygienic slaughter and dressing of chicken.
Interested farmers should register their names either in person or through telephone number 0422-2669965.
