MONDAY, MAY 20, 2024
Team Herald
PONDA: The continuous presence of stray cattle on the national highway and the arterial roads in Ponda Taluka remains a major threat to lives of commuters as well as cattle caused by road accidents.
Last Monday, one 20-year-old youth Maruddin Ansari from Pansule, Dharbandora got seriously injured after his bike hit a cow sitting on the road at Par Usgao and was shifted to GMC. It is learnt that bike riders could not notice the cow’s presence due to darkness, leading to the mishap.
Few days ago, around four cattle were killed, while one was injured on Dhavli Bypass after a heavy vehicle dashed against them early in the morning. Prior to this incident, cattle meandering on the Curti–Kerya Dharbandora road caused several accidents. Some couple of years ago, youth were seriously injured in an accident at Paunwada Kavlem while a cow died on spot after their bike dashed to it.
Goa Road Safety Forum (GRSF) Convenor, Dilip Naik said GRSF is continuously discussing the stray cattle issue with government authorities.
He said some people shout slogans against cow slaughter, but do nothing to save their lives. He said that all necessary steps regarding stray cattle management are well documented. There are even court orders, but still the problem continues as very few local bodies have taken initiative and signed agreement with goshalas to clear stray cattle. This needs to be done at a greater level to eliminate the problem.
He said just as the politicians ensured proper management in the Lok Sabha elections to ensure voters reach polling booths and cast vote without any hitch, similarly they should take efforts for ensuring safety of their voters on road. Like in Mumbai, the temples in Goa should also take care of some stray cattle. This will minimise mishaps on the roads.
