BANGALORE: Venkatesh, an unassuming resident of Shakti Ganapathinagar was on his way home on his motorcycle when a herd of cattle caught him unaware. In a bid to avoid any collateral damage, Venkatesh lost control and skid off his bike and sustained bruises. This is the apathy of Shakthi Ganapathinagar Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike ward.
The cattle owners have let the cows free in Shakthi Ganapathinagar which is a big menace for the commuters in the ward. When City Express visited the ward, we found a herd of cows making rounds in the area. We asked the residents if they have comes across similar instances where commuters lost balance in an act and swerved to escape from brushing the cattle.
“Cow is considered to be sacred in the Indian culture. The owners of the cattle should not let the cows roam in the streets. It affects the smooth flow of traffic and many commuters panic when they see a herd of cows,” said Venkatesh. When we took up the issue with the ward corporator Padmavathi Srinivas, she said, “Officials from the Palike will take custody of the cattle which are found creating inconvenience to citizens. Owners of cattle pay the fine and release their cattle after promising that they will not let them on the streets again. But, they hardly keep their word.” The corporator further said that she will initiate strict action to curb down the cattle menace. During our visit, we also found that some residents were dumping garbage stuffed in plastic covers near a transformer in the ward. “There are some residents in the ward who do not have any civic sense. Palike must slap fines against such people. It would be better if action can be initiated to fence the transformer.” said Manjunath S, a resident.“Yes, I’m aware of that. Some residents are dumping their garbage in the wee hours,” added Padmavathi.