Strays enjoy a free run on Main Road as there’s no place for them in the ramshackle Kanji house in Ranchi. (Manik Bose, Hardeep Singh)

Ranchi, April 9: The next time you have to negotiate a buffalo while driving on the capital’s busy Main Road, its irresponsible owner shouldn’t be the only target of your ire. Blame the city corporation too.

For, it is the responsibility of the Ranchi Municipal Corporation to catch these stray dogs, cows, goats et al, and confine them in Kanji House, a building specifically built for the purpose in 1979.

But, Kanji House at busy Bakri Bazar has been shut for the last two years and the corporation has a litany of excuses to justify its current status. From lack of manpower to nab the animals to improper maintenance of the building, RMC’s list is long predictable.

According to corporation PRO Naresh Kumar Sinha, the earlier system was to catch the straying animals and keep them at Kanji House — for a maximum of six to seven days, until the owners collected them.

“After the closure of Kanji House, commuters are facing a lot of problems while moving or driving through the city as the number of strays has increased,” admitted Sinha.

But he claimed the RMC was helpless since it was short-staffed — 425 permanent staff members against 883 sanctioned posts. “Also, whenever we go to catch strays, it creates a lot of traffic problems as the animals are always on the run once they sense someone is after them,” he said.

Another problem is that often the owner loses interest in claiming the animal once it’s kept at Kanji House. If the owner fails to take the animal, the RMC has to feed it for four to five days. “We do not have enough food to feed the animals,” Sinha pointed out.

But, he said Kanji House would be opened but refused to give a timeframe.

Now lying in neglect for two years, Kanji House has become a dumpyard. Store in charge Omkar Pandey said they were trying to clear the debris around the place. “We will have to remove old vehicles and make it functional,” he added.

Traffic DSP Ram Nath Singh admitted that with the stray animal population shooting up, it had become difficult to manage traffic. Singh threatened action against cattle-owners who were allowing animals to stray. “We are also thinking to imposing a fine on owners whose cattle roam around the city,” the DSP said.