TIRUNELVELI: A college student riding her two-wheeler was severely injured after a cow, standing on the roadside, unexpectedly hit her vehicle in Tirunelveli. The CCTV footage of the incident which went viral on social media on Wednesday, has sparked widespread concern over the stray cattle menace across the Tirunelveli corporation.
Sources said the victim, identified as Swadhika, a third-year student at a government-aided college in Palayamkottai, was admitted to a private hospital for treatment. The incident occurred when Swadhika was riding her two-wheeler to her college from Thirumal Nagar via the Thyagaraja Nagar area of the corporation.
It may be recalled that in June, the district court staff Velayudha Raj died after being hit by stray cattle in a similar incident. He fell under a moving TNSTC bus after the cattle knocked him down. Following that tragedy, Tirunelveli corporation officials had initiated a special drive to impound stray cattle within the corporation limit.
“The corporation needs to find a permanent solution to the stray cattle problem, rather than taking temporary actions like seizing cattle just for media attention,” said residents of Thyagaraja Nagar.
When contacted by TNIE, an official said that the police must take action against cattle owners who simply let their animals roam the streets after milking them.
"Last year, when the corporation impounded cattle, a political party’s functionaries freed them, claiming the official who seized the cattle belonged to a particular religion. Despite imposing penalties, cattle owners continue to leave their animals on the streets," said the official.
Additionally, the corporation is already short-staffed, and if sanitation workers are used to impound cattle, their association raises objections, insisting that only trained personnel should handle this.
"In this case, it appears that an unknown person on the roadside allegedly chased the cow, which then suddenly collided with the student’s bike. Two-wheeler riders should also be cautious when they see cattle on the roadside," the official added.