Pictures and videos are published of how the cattle not just endanger the lives of motorists, but at times their own lives are at risk during the night.
While it has been an endeavour of the government to promote cattle rearing and enthusing the idea of farming as an alternative to unemployment and also a way forward for ‘Swayampurna Goy’, the economics of taking care of the often silent four-legged animal has led many to turn-away from the noble cause.
The 20th Livestock Census, 2019, report stated that the cattle population in the Goa has increased to 60,247 from 57,480 in 2012. However, the stray cattle population which was 12.5% and stood at 7,183 in 2012 has now jumped to 21.8%, accounting to more than 13,133 cattle wandering on the roads of Goa.
The number of stray cattle squatting and making lives dangerous on the roads of the State has even had the government to come up with The Goa Stray Cattle Management Scheme, 2013. The Goa government’s Economic Survey 2021-22 revealed that under the scheme, the government spent Rs 6.08 crore as grant-in-aid to assist 15 local bodies including municipalities and panchayats.
Despite the efforts, the number of stray cattle on the roads of Goa is only on the rise. The menace has become so large, that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant while inaugurating a ‘gaushala’ at the Raj Bhavan on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday on Saturday, informed that 12 new ‘gaushalas’ or cow shelters, one each in every taluka, will be set up to tackle the menace.
Even as the government’s intentions to provide shelter to the wandering cattle may seem noble and a dozen or two of unemployed youth in Goa may have a job opportunity, the real issue is to figure out the causes of such a large number of these cattle being let out on the streets by their owners.
From the local governing bodies – panchayats and municipalities, to the State Assembly, the issue of stray cattle menace on the roads and the unaccounted accidents continues to be discussed.
In common knowledge, cattle were usually left in the open for grazing during the day and by evening these would return to their homes. With pasturing and green spaces reducing, especially for the cattle to graze, one will find that they walk several kilometres in search of food.
It is also common knowledge that to ensure that the cattle are taken care in their sheds, a farmer or an owner will have to provide fodder, which has become an expensive affair. The returns are negligible compared to what one may have to invest in order to ensure his/her bovine is fed properly. A lay man can only possibly think of the related issues and sympathise with the farmer.
However, has the government undertaken a survey researching the real causes why the owners of these cattle don’t ensure they are tied within the premises of the sheds? What is the reason behind owners not turning up to claim the bovines after they are impounded by the authority and taken to a government shed or gaushala?
Moving away from lopsided arguments based on certain beliefs, the government has to step in and dive deep into the real causes of the stray cattle menace.
When nearly 22% of cattle are on the streets, why doesn’t the Goa Government issue a white paper on the stray cattle menace and bring in appropriate legislations to ensure not just safe spaces for the cattle but also safe roads for its citizens.
