CHENNAI: The bustling Velachery 100 Feet Road came to a brief halt on the night of July 15 after a herd of cattle strayed on to the two-kilometre stretch that falls between the flyover and Phoenix Mall. While cattle on the streets is not a rare sight, lack of proper enforcement of the regulations continue to create traffic bottlenecks in the city.
According to the Greater Chennai Corporation’s veterinary officer Dr Kamal Hussain, more than 7,000 stray cattle were impounded by the corporation last year. Despite penalties levied on the owners, stray cattle continue to roam free on link roads and arterial roads.
M Ramcharan, a resident of Kotturpuram, takes the 100 feet road to travel to his office in Madipakkam on his two-wheeler. “There is no median in the entire stretch barring the signals. If cattle move from the sideways to the main road, it creates traffic congestion. There is also the threat of cattle being hit by speeding vehicles,” said Ramcharan.
Raghukumar Choodamani, a social activist based in Perambur, says that rearing cattle in the open is detrimental to both traffic and the animals, and the same can be curbed only by putting in place proper restrictions and levying fines. Photographer M Hemanathan, however, is of the opinion that open dumping of food wastes is what attracts stray cattle to the link roads.
For his work, Hemanathan travels from Mogappair to Egmore. He told TNIE, “I find stray cattle near the Aminjikarai bridge. But it is not a big problem yet. Since it is an important area, traffic police are available throughout the day to clear any congestion due to cattle. But the same cannot be said for other areas.” The general plan of action for corporation officials is to seize stray cattle based on complaints and raids, and send them to cattle depots.
Chennai has two major cattle depots, namely in Perambur and Pudupettai, maintained by GCC’s veterinary assistant surgeons. The owners are tracked down and the cattle are let off only after a fine and maintenance charge is levied on them. A written affidavit is also obtained. This, however, has not curtailed the menace.
“We conduct inspection every day in all the 15 zones.
We seize stray cattle and impose fines on the owners. Cattle would be marked with a tag with owner details, but the owners rip off the tag and let them out again. Repeated offenders’ cattle are seized and handed over to the blue cross. But it’s a collective effort. We have requested the police department to create awareness among cattle owners. We conduct a quarterly meeting with cattle owners in every zone to sensitise them on best behaviour,”said Hussain.