Around 30 cows and calves have been found in pitiable conditions, without enough feed, in a goshala (cow shelter) owned by a private trust, located near the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in the city.
When Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran visited the cow shelter following complaints regarding its running, he found the cows with their skeletal bodies struggling to stand up.
The cow shelter located near the Kuthira Malika is owned by the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple Goshala Trust, a private trust, to supply milk to the temple. The temple owns another cow shelter, which also supplies milk. A total of 19 cows and 12 calves are being housed in the private trust’s cow shelter. One of the calves recently died following an attack by a stray dog.
Exposed to elements
A tarpaulin sheet, which serves as a roof for the shelter, was found to be torn. Thus, the animals have been suffering without any cover, be it rain or shine.
With just one worker to take care of the entire shelter, cleaning of cow dung and other waste is not being done in a timely manner. The cows were also not being provided feed at regular intervals or in sufficient quantities.
In a statement, the Minister said that the animals were being held in cruel conditions. He said instructions would be issued to the District Collector to hand over the cattle to the temple, if the need arose. Talks would be held with the trust office-bearers to study the situation. He also instructed the Executive Officer of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple to take steps to arrange enough feed for the cattle at the earliest.
Complaints received
Mayor V.K. Prashant said that he had got complaints from traders and residents in the area regarding the cow shelter. Appropriate action would be taken after checking the conditions, he said.
COMMents
SHARE