Cattle roam on Cuttack roads creating problems in smooth flow of traffic. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, July 19: The problem of stray cattle is worsening by the day. There is hardly any road in the city that is free from cattle and this is now posing a threat to the lives of commuters.

The problem of stray cattle is acute at Buxi Bazar, Chandni Chowk, Barabati stadium, CDA, Badambadi, Rajabagicha and Chandi Mandir square.

There are also many narrow lanes in the city where one can spot numerous cattle. “We commuters have to exercise a great deal of caution while travelling on the roads occupied by stray cattle,” said Anand Sahu.

According to Sahu, stray animals occupying the middle of the road often disrupted the flow of traffic and this sparked congestion.

Often, bulls attack passers-by on the street, causing grievous injury to them.

Even the traffic officials have expressed concern over the lack of adequate measures on part of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation to deal with the problem of stray animals.

“These cattle are posing a threat to the lives of commuters besides creating traffic flow problems. Lack of awareness among people is to be blamed for the mess, as most of the owners are leaving their cattle on the roads,” said a senior traffic official.

Many residents claim that despite repeated complaints the cow-catching squad of the corporation is not doing much to put a check on this menace.

On the other hand, an official of the cow-catching squad said around 10 to 15 cattle were being caught every day. However, because of the rains, catching stray animals had become difficult in the past couple of days.

The squad members also alleged that often, while they went out to catch the cattle, people did not allow them to do so. “Stray cows are being caught by our team twice a day and handed over to their respective owners after imposition of a fine of Rs 300,” said squad in-charge Ramakant Biswal.

According to Biswal, at present there were three unclaimed cattle at the kine house at Buxi Bazar. Usually, the cattle were released 20km away from the city if nobody claimed them after seven days of being caught.

The single kine house of the corporation is facing problems because of lack of adequate space, as it can only house 60 to 70 animals. There is no provision to keep bulls, which are usually released on the NH-5 between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.

Sources said earlier, there were three other kine houses at Sartol, Telenga Bazar and Sati Choura, which have now been closed. This has aggravated the problem of stray cattle in the city.