TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: Chinchinim village panchayat seems literally struggling to keep the stray cattle menace at bay for want of both men and machinery.
Despite complaints of stray cattle posing danger to motorists on the national highway and internal roads in the village, a solution to the menace has eluded the panchayat body so far. Herald inquiries have revealed that the panchayat body has no cattle pound nor has the required manpower to catch strays. A stop gap cattle pound maintained by the panchayat body a couple of years ago is no more in operation.
While there are complaints galore from motorists using the NH-17 that stray cattle pose danger to vehicular traffic, especially on the Dandeavaddo stretch of the road, farmers from Durga and other areas have been complaining of strays destroying their crops.
Says Chinchinim Sarpanch Antonio Sequeira: “It is a fact that stray cattle poses a nuisance to both motorists and farmers. But we are helpless in the absence of government support to tide over the situation. The government should help the panchayat bodies to tackle the menace by making available infrastructure. Unless land is available to set up a cattle pound and the government supports the panchayats with funds to employ animal catchers and to procure fodder, the situation will not improve.”
Some months back, the panchayat made an announcement in the local church as well as ward chapels requesting the owners to take care of their cattle from straying into the fields and on the highway. “The announcement was made since I received a complaint that stray cattle caused damage to crops at Durga. We strongly believe that the
cattle stray into Chinchinim village from Cuncolim,” he said, adding that he plans to take up the matter with the Cuncolim Municipal Council.
