THOOTHUKUDI: With fatal accidents caused by stray cows and bulls in Udangudi region, public charge that the construction of Udangudi Super Critical Thermal Power Plant on several acres of a jungle has forced the cattle out into residential areas.
Sources said the jungle spread across over 3,000 acres was the habitat to 2,000-odd undomesticated cows and bulls. A few herds of stags, sambar deer, and many reptile species were also spotted in the jungle, which has a thick cover of seemai karuvelamaram (Prosopis juliflora) and native thorny trees. Though the area was formerly classified as 'Tharuvai' in village records (meaning a water catchment area), it was handed over to Tangedco, which set up a thermal power plant on 1,200 acres in 2018.
The Udangudi public say that the jungle was a grazing ground for centuries. Being a large swathe of land comprising huge swamps fed by the Ellapanayakankulam tank, some cows do not return home, thus forming a large herd of undomesticated cows over the years. The stray bovines are a bit more violent than the domesticated cows and bulls, they add.
After the construction of the thermal plant, undomesticated cows started moving into nearby residential areas and villages such as N Muthaiapuram, Pitchivilai, Aeerkatchi, Nainarpathu and Thaikavoor for food and water.
Social activist Kaleel Rahman told TNIE that the stray bovines enter into the residential areas after dusk to feed on the discarded waste from hotels and vegetable shops in the market areas. They also fight with each ferociously and return to the jungle in the early morning, he said.
Ravi, president of the Udangudi Vyaparigal Munnetra Sangam, said that domestic cattle join the stray cows. There are over 300-odd stray cow populations in Udangudi streets. At least one person gets injured every day due to conflict with them and bulls, he added.
A crew of the 108 ambulance told TNIE that they have been witnessing at least five to six cases hit by cows and bulls every month from Udangudi-Kulasekarapattinam road, Udangudi-Thisayanvilai road, between Alanthalai and Kulasekarapattinam section of Tiruchendur-Kanyakumari road (East Coast Road). Recently, three persons died after hitting a herd of cattle crossing ECR, and two days back one panthal contractor died on being struck by a cow, he said. recalled.
A forest official said they have recovered carcasses of two deers from Udangudi and Meignanapuram areas in the past one year.
The cattle predominantly hit the vehicles in the late hours while crossing the road between Alanthalai and Kulasekarapattinam section of Tiruchendur-Kanyakumari road, to drink water from the open tanks located in Alanthalai and Kulasekarapattinam village, said a police sub inspector, wishing anonymity.
It may be noted that Kulasekarapattinam panchayat had constructed three water tanks in 2020-21 only to cater water to jungle cows that stray into the village after the construction of the thermal power plant.
'Tangedco did not conduct social impact assessment'
Thoothukudi Environment Protection Movement Coordinator V Gunaselan said that accidents caused by stray cattle had a social impact that was not studied by the Tangedco authorities. Tangedco did not conduct a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) which mandated Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. "Though the project was initiated in 2008, much earlier to the land acquisition act, it was revised during 2016 and the land earmarked previously was also changed. But the authorities did not conduct SIA," he said.
Udangudi town panchayat officials expressed shortage of manpower to catch all the stray and domesticated animals roaming on the streets. While domesticated cattle left untended can be taken to gosalai in Kulasekarapattinam, the jungle cattle menace has no solution, he added.
However, a civic official from Kulasekarapattinam, wishing anonymity told TNIE said that they would look into options for building tanks near the jungle to prevent stray animals from crossing the East Coast Road and hence avoid accidents.