Cuttack, Sept. 17: The next time you are caught in a traffic jam because of stray cattle or a roaming cow enters your house premises, blame it on the Cuttack Municipal Corporation.

While the city’s sole functioning kine house at Buxi Bazar is suffering from space crunch to keep the stray cattle, the corporation’s spacious cattle pound at Sati Choura is also not being used.

Sources say the municipal corporation is finding it hard to run the kine houses, which are running at a loss. As a result, a number of cattle pounds have been shut in the city.

The municipal corporation collects a fine of nearly Rs 2 lakh annually from cattle owners, who leave their animals on the road, but bulk of the money is spent towards purchase of cattle feed and maintenance of the kine houses.

Moreover, lack of adequate measures on part of the corporation to boost the cow-catching squad is also to be blamed for the cattle menace on the city streets.

“We usually hand over the animals caught from various places to their owners after imposing a fine of Rs 300,” said in charge of the civic body’s cow-catching squad Ramakant Biswal.

Biswal said around 10 to 15 cattle were being caught a day. However, the number dropped during rains and the summer owing to lack of facilities at the Buxi Bazar kine house.

The Buxi Bazar kine house had come up on a donated land. It can accommodate 60 to 70 animals. But, the facility lacks proper rest sheds, which add to the animals’ woes, especially during rains and the summer.

However, municipal commissioner D.V. Swamy said efforts would be initiated to upgrade the cattle pound in the city.

“The Sati Choura cattle pound has been closed because of some architectural and other infrastructural problems. We will shortly review the facilities of the cattle pound and take steps for its renovation. Similarly, issues with other kine houses, too, will subsequently be taken up,” said Swamy.

According to sources, the Sati Choura cattle pound, which has four concrete rest sheds, could accommodate over 150 animals.

The cattle pound was inaugurated in 2005 but has been abandoned for the past six years.

Local residents alleged that a few roaming animals that which were caught from the nearby localities had been kept at the Sati Choura cattle pound for some days after its inauguration.

“The Cuttack municipal corporation should take immediate steps to start the Sati Choura cattle pound. Such an initiative will also facilitate the employees to take good care of the animals,” said Saurabh Sahu, a local resident.

Moreover, two other kine houses, one at Sartol and another at Telengabazar, have been closed for the past few years.