Shahjahanpur. In Shahjahanpur district, the administration has started counting of cattle in every village and every household to check the cases of cows being left unattended on the roads. An official said that this exercise will help in tracking the cattle population and find out if any household has given up cows after they have stopped giving milk and an explanation will be sought from such families.
Chief Development Officer (CDO) Shyam Bahadur Singh said on Sunday that the government has set up cowsheds, but many families still leave their cattle unattended on the roads instead of taking them to these gaushalas. There are 56 gaushalas in Shahjahanpur, which have 12,669 cows. Four more cowsheds are being built here.
“I have instructed (government) employees to talk to the villagers of their respective areas and discourage them to leave their cattle when they stop milking them,” the CDO said. A survey is underway to find out the number of cows in a village and household, the CDO said. During this, the villagers will be asked whether they have let any of their cattle open after they have stopped giving milk. Explanation will be sought from those who do so.
Additional Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Bajpai said that loose cattle are causing road accidents. He said that instructions have been given to the police stations to take care of the people injured in the accidents as well as the injured cows. He said that strict action is taken against cattle smugglers and those involved in cow slaughter in the district.
Meanwhile, many farmers have expressed their anguish over the problem of stray animals. Farmer Sarvesh Kumar Kashyap of Kakar Katha village in Mirzapur police station area said, I have six acres of land and there are eight members in my family. Women look after the crops by doing household chores during the day and men guard the crops at night with the free cattle. Farmers often burst crackers to drive away the herds of stray cattle. The menace of stray cattle has forced many farmers to switch to crop alternatives.
Bhagat Kumar Sharma, a marginal farmer from Manihar village in Allahganj area, said that till a few years ago, he used to cultivate gram and tur in large quantities, but these crops are easily ruined by stray cattle. He said, more and more farmers are now opting for only wheat, sugarcane and paddy.
Rajesh Yadav, a former MLA of Miranpur Katra assembly constituency, said that he travels 35 km everyday from his village Shivra to Shahjahanpur town and sees road accidents caused by stray cattle. “Just a few days ago, two bullocks fighting each other came on the road and hit my car, injuring me and two others,” he said. Dhruv Singh, a farmer of Shahmau area said, “I have a restaurant on the Lucknow-Shahjahanpur road. I see people and stray cattle getting injured in road accidents almost daily.
Avneesh Kumar Gangwar, executive officer of Nagar Panchayat of Miranpur Katra town, adjacent to the Lucknow-Delhi National Highway and Bareilly-Kanpur State Road, said that two-four accidents occur every day due to stray animals.
