ROURKELA: Commuters across Rourkela city are facing traffic hassles on a daily basis as stray cattle are found in large numbers on busy roads and thoroughfares. Despite accidents reported due to the menace for months and years now, the Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) has neither found a solution to the problem nor been able to hire a private agency for stray cattle management.
With a small kine-house of the RMC at Balughat remaining virtually defunct amid operational difficulties, RMC in collaboration with the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) developed a large kine-house over 10 acres to accommodate 150-200 cattle at a time. However, the civic body is unable to run it with not a single bidder applying for stray cattle management tender that opened on July 19.
Former Chairperson of the erstwhile Rourkela Municipality Rashmibala Mishra said, for decades the bovine menace has remained a nuisance for denizens and its management is the need of the hour in view of growing population. The city comprising the RMC limits and the captive township of RSP has above 10,000 cows and buffaloes including those at commercial cattle-sheds.
Majority of the owners deliberately let loose their cattle to feed outside and at market places and take the animals home during night. Yet, the real problem lies with unproductive animals as the owners avoid claiming ownership, RMC sources said. The Vedvyas Goshala is over-crowded and reluctant to accommodate unclaimed cattle.
Sources said, efforts of RMC had failed twice during end of 2019 to tag stray cattle with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) for easy and quick tracking of owners. Deputy Commissioner Sudhanshu Bhoi said the RMC would float fresh tender soon. “Hopefully, the city roads would be free from stray animals soon,” he said.