Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) has launched a citywide survey to identify legal and unauthorized Gaushala (cow shelters) within the city limits, following the recent demolition of an unauthorized cowshed built on park land in the upscale Char Imli area of the city.
The action, carried out in the presence of district administration officials, faced strong opposition from certain Hindu organizations, however, it proceeded as planned.
According to civic body officials, there are currently around 42 government and non-government cow shelters registered with the Animal Husbandry Department and the Madhya Pradesh Govardhan Board.
However, more than 100 unregistered shelters are believed to be operating illegally on government land on the outskirts and border areas of the city. Officials say the ongoing survey will help streamline the regulation of shelters, prevent encroachments on public land, and address the stray cattle problem that has plagued the city.
Apart from this a senior official of the corporation, on the condition of anonymity, said that they are forced to ignore rise of unauthorised cow shelters in the city due to political reasons despite of a ban to built any new cow shelters within the municipal limits. The official further said that daily on an average they used to get 8-10 phone calls to release the cows captured to send them to ‘Kanjihouse’.
No monitoring system in place
At present, neither the BMC nor agencies like the Govardhan Board and Animal Husbandry Department have a permanent system to monitor unregistered shelters. Currently, action is taken only after receiving public complaints, with spot inspections followed by coordination with the district administration.
Cattle menace on city roads
The presence of stray cattle continues to be a growing concern. More than 500 dairies operate across Bhopal, with clusters of over a dozen dairies found within a two-kilometre radius in slum and remote areas. Cattle often roam onto roads, causing traffic hazards and, in some cases, injuries to pedestrians and motorists.
Ward-wise inspection in 21 zones
The survey, to be conducted in all 21 municipal zones, will examine whether shelters are located on government or private land and verify their registration status. “We are conducting a ward-wise survey of the cow shelters operating in the city.
Only after the survey will we be able to tell how many unregistered cow shelters are operating,” said Harshit Tiwari, BMC additional commissioner.
