Bhubaneswar: To rid the city of the bovine menace before the Mens’ Hockey World Cup in January 2023, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has imposed a ban on the movement of cattle on roads in Odisha’s capital.
The deputy commissioner for Animal Birth Control (ABC) Ramesh Jena of BMC issued an official notification stating that the persons allowing their cattle to roam on the city roads will be treated as illegal.
“The cattle found on the road will be lifted and will be maintained at the Animal Welfare Centres (AWC) at Jamukoli and Jatni and Govind Go Sevashram in Puri,” stated the notification.
He further stated the notification that the civic body is concerned about the stray cattle menace which is causing traffic obstructions as well as deaths due to accidents on the road and evasion of tourist places like Lingaraj temple.
BMC officials said that stray cattle create problems, especially during the night-time when the visibility becomes poor and movement of the traffic gets faster.
Notably, more than 200 stray cattle have been lifted from the BMC area within the last six days. Previously, the civic body was lifting around six cattle per day, but currently, the number has risen to 30-35 per day. Owners of the cows leave male calves on the streets since do not get profit from them and do not want to invest in their feed.
The stray cattle menace was also proving to be an impediment to the city’s overall beautification. It was also feared that it lead to accidents as international delegates would move around in buses and cars. Three cattle-catching agencies have been deployed by the BMC to lift the cattle and put them at the designated AWCs. If required, the BMC can send the cattle to an AWC at Choudwar in Cuttack district.
