The Indian Express                18.04.2013

Mayor to inspect cowsheds in UP’s Barsana, Varanasi

The Mayor, along with some councillors and officials of the Municipal Corporation, visited cow sheds in Barsana and Varanasi to inspect their conditions in order to shift the stray animals there. From Saturday onwards, the shifting of stray animals to cow sheds in Delhi and Garhshankar will start. However, other places are also being inspected to accommodate more animals.

Initially, 550 stray animals will be shifted out of the city. Of these, 500 will be sent to the cow shed in Delhi and 50 to Garhshankar. The MC will be paying Rs 2,000 per animal to the cow sheds. Thereafter, depending on the number of stray cattle that are caught by the cattle-catching team of the MC, further decisions will be taken about the number of animals that are required to be shifted out.

After the death of a Sector 45 resident when his vehicle hit a stray animal, the MC sprang into action. Mayor Subhash Chawla is visiting the cow sheds along with deputy mayor Satish Kainth, councillor Sat Prakash Aggarwal and the Medical Officer of Health.

Chawla says that the cow shed at Barsana is spread over 50 acres and another 50 acres have been taken for the purpose of keeping stray animals. "Those managing the cow shed have assured us that we can send any number of stray animals. The conditions at the cow shed were satisfactory," he said.

The issue of shifting stray animals had become a bone of contention between the Congress and BJP. While the Congress had mooted the proposal, the BJP councillors had opposed it, stating that the conditions of the cow sheds need to be looked into.

The city has a cattle pound and two cattle sheds. Both the cattle sheds are filled to capacity due to which a need was felt to shift the cattle out of the city. This practice was followed till 2007 after which it was stopped.