There are numerous cattle owners in Goa, who do not care for their cattle. They don’t have proper shelter, regular feeding, or drinking water etc. A few decades before the cattle-buffalo owners were very responsible and would build a proper shed, storage place for grass/hay/fodder etc.
These sheds were well maintained before the monsoons — the roof of the shed and flooring redone every year. There was a regular ‘rakhnno’ to look after the cattle and herd to make sure that the cattle don’t run astray on the roads or spoil fields and other plants. But nowadays, there is neither care nor responsibility shown by the cattle owners.
To begin with, there is no ‘rakhnno’ or proper shed, or proper feeding done as a result, the cattle after the morning milking, roam everywhere/squat on the roads as per their fancy, dirty places with cow dung/urine and block traffic everywhere.
During the monsoon and summer seasons, the stray cattle are a very common sight, day or night across Goa. The four-wheeler drivers and two-wheeler riders are at their mercy, dodging and wrestling their way across the squatting cattle on the village roads and even highways. The darker colour cattle and the buffaloes are like black devils blocking the traffic especially at night which cause innumerable accidents.
Whose cattle is it anyway? Don’t they have their owners? Goa is an international tourist destination and it is surprising and shocking to say the least that cattle is allowed to roam free without any checks or control, and with mining trucks running back to back and cattle everywhere, the commuters are left to fend for themselves on the potholed roads which have sometimes bad gradient and uneven levelling, which gives rise to so many traffic accidents and deaths.
It is time, the government of the day swung into action. There should be a system and standard operating procedure for the cattle owners. Every owner should be requested to compulsorily register their cattle at the local municipality/panchayat paying very less yearly fee for each individual cattle. Proper sheds with fodder facility/drinking water and place for the cattle to rest should be made compulsory for these helpless animals. Horns or hooves of each cow/bull/buffalo should be imbedded/implanted with a tiny digital microchip with the owners’ identity and relevant details. This could be accessed digitally on the spot.
In the event of cattle new births or deaths should be recorded. The cattle owners should be requested to feed their cattle regularly and not allow them to roam freely or scavenge garbage which has mostly plastic and even toxic materials. There should be a shepherd or somebody to watch over them from spoiling fields/plants and in general to keep them off roads and highways, so that not only the cattle are saved but also the commuters.
Any negligence from the part of the cattle owners should be dealt with strictly.
I would like to request the Chief Minister to undertake this matter on priority basis, to make the Goan roads free of cattle and strays. Involve all the municipalities and panchayat officials at the State level to create awareness, makeshift ponds for all stray animals. Issue guidelines for cattle/herd owners and if they do not fall in line, then impound their stray cattle.
