The Indian Express                     13.04.2013

MC catches 46 stray cattle in 2 days

Waking up to the menace of stray cattle after the death of a Sector 45 resident, Municipal Corporation has launched special cattle-catching drives at night. On Thursday night, 26 stray animals were rounded up, the day before that 20 animals were caught.

The animals that have been taken in will not be released as cattle is not allowed within municipal limits. A complaint against cattle owners will also be lodged with the police. There is a provision of imprisonment as well.

The Municipal Corporation has caught around 12,000 stray animals over the last five years. In the year 2012-13, 2,330 stray animals were rounded up, while the number was 2741 in 2011-12 and 2401 in 2010-11. Of these 1583, 1809 and 1609 were respectively released. The Municipal Commissioner has constituted four cattle-catching teams that will be required to keep a check at day and night.

The Municipal Corporation has also taken a decision to send stray cattle to cowsheds outside the city for which Rs 20 lakh has been sanctioned as the strength of the cowsheds in the city is not sufficient to hold a large number of animals.

Meanwhile, Gurpreet Kaur, wife of Harpreet Singh Sodhi who died after his bike hit a stray animal, met the Municipal Commissioner and Mayor seeking a job on compassionate grounds. Harpreet was the sole bread winner of the family. Apart from his wife, he is survived by an eight-year-old son and one-year-old daughter.

The family, in its complaint, had blamed negligence on part of the Municipal Corporation for his death.