File picture of cattle on road

Balasore, May 11: Stray cattle are posing serious problems for people living in Balasore. Generally spotted in the vegetable and fruit markets, the cattle are responsible for littering the area and causing traffic inconvenience.

These wandering animals have also accounted for road accidents on several occasions with frequent reports of injuries to both the cattle and human beings surfacing.

These cattle are seen loitering around in government offices and the Balsaore Headquarters Hospital.

“Since there is no initiative on the part of the authorities, the number of stray cattle has been increasing. Although everyone is encountering these problems, no one has raised his voice over the issue,” said Ananta Rana, a local resident.

While the “kanji” house — a short stay house for stray cattle — has now become a thing of the past, neither the municipal authorities nor the district administration has come up with a solution to check this menace. The municipal authorities stated that they do not have adequate funds or a proper system in place to tackle this problem.

“People should be aware of their civic responsibilities and look after their livestock. After milking their cattle, they just let them out in the open,” said Manoj Rout, vice-chairman of Balasore municipality.

“It was observed that when the animals were kept at the kanji house, the cattle-owners only had to pay a nominal fee and never visited them. More so, because they knew that the animals were secure and being fed well,” added Rout.

The kanji house was shut down after a person lodged a case against the municipal authorities following his cow’s death. “We would raise this issue in our council meeting and try to look for at least a temporary solution,” Rout said.

The authorities also said they did not want to dump the cattle irresponsibly at one place which might offend the sentiments of animal activists. “If we abandon them in the open or keep them under custody, animal activists might be offended and seek an explanation from us,” said Sudhansu Nayak, executive officer of Balasore municipality.

Dayanidhi Patra, former chief district medical officer and a member of the People for Animals (PFA), a voluntary organisation, said: “Our activities pertain to animal welfare. We are ready to utilise our own funds to look after the cattle if they are housed at some place.”

Additional district magistrate, Sribatsa Jena, said: “In the past, we had attempted to pick up stay cattle from several areas but had to discontinue the drive due to stiff opposition from a particular group. If the municipality needs land, we will try our best to fulfil their requirement.”