To tackle the persistent issue of stray cattle, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has earmarked a budget of approximately Rs. 12 crores towards the establishment of new cow sheds and the renovation of existing ones. New sheds will reportedly come up at Shenoy Nagar, Tondiarpet, Madhavaram and Sholinganallur while renovation will take place for current sheds at Nolambur and Kodungaiyur.
The cattle sheds are expected to help remove stray cattle by offering owners a place to shelter and feed their animals for a charge. The solution is being proposed in preference to levying fines on cattle owners who allow their cows to wander.
The push for cow sheds as a solution to remove stray cattle from the streets has come about because fines appear to have had little impact. Last year, the civic body reportedly caught 2,627 stray cows and collected fines amounting to Rs. 1.31 crores. However, complaints continue to come from Triplicane, Koyambedu, Arumbakkam, Thiruvanmiyur, Mylapore and Nungambakkam; and the recent past saw at least two reported cattle attacks – two stray cows attacked a woman in Ambattur, and Nandambakkam saw a woman lose her life to a traffic accident caused by a bolting cow. The animals themselves are clearly under stress from being exposed to the din and chaos of traffic. It appears to be rather cruel to allow them to wander thus, scavenging waste – including plastic – from roadside bins. Given that a lack of space is the reason why owners are allowing the animals to roam the streets, the civic body hopes that cow sheds will serve to be a long-term solution to the problem.
However, questions arise. The current inventory of cow sheds do not appear to be used to full capacity – for instance, news reports observe that Triplicane has a cow shed, despite which the area continues to struggle with the menace of stray cows. One reason lies in the growing population of cows – while sheds can shelter some of the herd, the rest must go back to wandering the streets. Another reason is that cattle owners appear to be loath to tether the animals for prolonged periods – they say that cows must be allowed to roam. In fact, cattle owners have reportedly been asking the Corporation to allot grazing lots for their herds – lands they say they do not have the financial resources to buy.
The truth is that the civic body itself seems to lack the requisite resources to frame and implement a permanent solution to the problem. Take cow catchers, for instance, who help impound stray cattle. According to Corporation data, the city has only 25 cow catchers employed under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission. This is a small number, given that an exercise like capturing stray cattle needs a daily routine especially in affected localities. Further, the workers too have complaints of their own – not only do they receive no formal training to do their jobs, which exposes them to risks; their employment is not permanent, either.
It appears, then, that the administration – which, to its credit, has mooted a number of solutions to clear the streets of cows, including digital tools like RFID-based microchips to surveil the animals – still has some work to do to in addressing glaring lacunae. For instance, if impounding stray cattle is key, then the scale of the problem requires a larger team that is duly equipped to carry out the work. Likewise, if the owners feel that their cows cannot be restrained to a shed for too long, then the mere provision of cow sheds is less likely to solve the problem – wandering areas need to be accounted for, too. Perhaps it is time to consider a collaborative course of action that brings together all involved to devise a sustainable solution – owners, workers and possibly non-governmental bodies too. For instance, there were plans earlier to accommodate stray cattle in temple goshalas. There does not seem to be a reason why this line cannot be pursued alongside the provision of new cattle sheds.
The removal of stray cows from the streets is perhaps not as straightforward as it appears. But surely, a concerted effort should make it possible. Indeed, for a city aspiring to hold its own against global megacities, this should be a non-negotiable.