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Thanks to the apathy shown by the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) pedestrians and motorists continue to face a nightmarish experience as herds of stray cattle are roaming freely on the roads of the twin-city. The decision taken by the civic administration to float fresh tenders for hiring a private agency to catch stray cattle has been on the back burner for the past five months due to unknown reasons. The MBMC had inked a three-year contract with a private agency in July 2022 to act against cattle found to be roaming on streets. stray cattle found roaming on the roads were rounded up by the teams deployed by the agency and each of the owners were fined Rs 2,000 with an undertaking that they will not let their cow or buffaloes wander in public places.
Out of the penalty amounting Rs 2,000, the civic administration which did not have to spend a single penny for the cattle-catching tender was even entitled to receive Rs. 690 as proceeds towards each catch. However, the agency backed out in September 2023 owing to stiff resistance in the form of abuses, threats and intimidation by some politically-backed cow vigilantes alleging ill-treatment to the cows.
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Since then frequent incidents have been reported in which pedestrians were injured and damage to vehicles owing to freak mishaps due to the presence of stray animals. In some cases, even the cattle get injured after accidentally falling into trenches and drains.
After The Free Press Journal highlighted the risks posed to citizens and the strays, officials from MBMC’s animal husbandry department started the process of appointing an agency to round up the cattle in a safe manner. Modalities of the contract were discussed and tenders inviting interested agencies/organisations to catch stray cows were supposed to be floated in February, this year. However, the process was mysteriously put on hold. The number of cattle in the registry of MBMC’s animal husbandry department is around 1150 which includes cows and buffaloes in 29 small and big cow sheds. “
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We had recently held a meeting of shed owners asking them to maintain proper hygiene and ensure that cattle do not roam around in the twin-city else they would have to pay Rs.2,000 as fine per animal.” said a senior officer. Since the abrupt termination of the contract the lone “kondwada” (a pen where stray animals are confined) run by the MBMC in Bhayandar has remained idle for nearly two years even as the stray cattle continue to dominate the roads and thus endangering people’s lives.
