HYDERABAD: As 429 veterinary sub-centres were closed down due to a lack of medicines and staff, the Telangana State Animal Husbandry Diploma Holders Association has offered to help in curbing the lumpy skin disease (LSD), which is spreading rapidly among cattle across the State.
In a press statement issued here on Wednesday, the association said that it is ready to offer free treatment to the LSD-affected cattle by deploying around 4,000 of its members at these 429 centres if they are provided medicines and other necessary facilities.
The Association said that though thousands of calves had died in the villages due to lack of veterinary healthcare, the Animal Husbandry Department has been claiming to have brought the disease under control through the goat-pox vaccine, which has been found effective against the Capri-pox virus affecting the cattle.
Association president B Samara Simha Reddy claimed that 290 veterinary doctor posts, 500 veterinary assistant and VLO posts and 1,000 office subordinate posts have been lying vacant in the veterinary health sub-centres across the State.
“There are not even 3,000 veterinary staff to treat 84 lakh cattle in the State. There is no word on sanctioning any new posts. The farmers are informing us that they are not being provided medicines to treat the affected cattle,” he stated, alleging that though thousands of young cattle have already lost their lives, officially the department has not been confirming those figures to “avoid getting a bad name”.