Gaya: Abandoned cows roaming on Gaya's streets could see achhche din (good days, a term made famous by Prime Minister Narendra Modi before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections) soon, as a 140-year-old gaushala (cowshed) is to get a facelift.

Besides the repair of the somewhat shabby sheds, more sheds for cows would be built and in-house health services will be provided to ailing cows. Facility for proper storage of cowdung and manure will be developed.

Confirming the proposed facelift of the Shree Gaya Gaushala, popularly known as Gorakshni, Gaya district magistrate Abhishekh Singh said Gaya Municipal Corporation and Shree Gaya Gaushala, the shelter home for non-milch cows, will sign an MoU for the upkeep of the abandoned. He would be the facilitator of the MoU, said Singh.

The cowshed, presently housing about 100 cows, will be upgraded to accommodate around 1,000 bovines.

"Besides causing emotional hurt to cow lovers, the roaming cows are a traffic hazard," said the DM. Asked if "non-cow" cattle too would be sheltered in the shed, the DM said to begin with, only cows will be accommodated.

State VHP chief and Gaushala committee vice-president Udai Kumar Verma said established in 1888, the shed was exclusively caters to the gau vansh (cow family). "Separate arrangements can be made for other stray cattle," said Verma.

Asked about the source of funding, the DM said public donations had been the main source of funding in the past. "The animal and fish resources department too would be approached to share the expenditure on the shed. In the long run, the shed can be made self-reliant, as it is an extremely valuable property in the GMC area and if developed on commercial lines, the property was enough to make the shed self-reliant," said the DM.

According to Anup Kedia , the former vice-president of Shree Gaya Gaushala in the 1990s, nearly 260 acres belonging to Gaya Gaushala was acquired by the state government and it was subsequently allotted to villagers. The acquisition was challenged in the high court. While upholding the land acquisition, the high court held that the gaushala needed only 38 acres as pastures. A few days ago, local officials got a 38-acre pasture measured and fenced," said Kedia.

The forest department earlier planted 1.14 lakh trees on the cowshed land and fully-grown trees were illegally felled by the locals and no action was taken against the culprits, alleged Kedia. Till about four decades ago, about 1,000 cows found shelter in Gaurakshni, a registered organisation. Having lost the pastures, the gaushala started decaying.

Earlier, according to Kedia, Gaya businessmen used to donate one anna (6 paise) out of every Rs 100 turnover, which was sufficient to keep about 1,000 cows.

Except for some businessmen, who make small donations, the practice has been abandoned.