Sheer negligence on the part of the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) and cattle owners is posing a threat to the lives of motorists and cattle alike. Due to the presence of stray cattle, cases of accidents are on the rise, but, a majority of the cases are not reported to the authorities concerned.
There are stray cattle around the city. Even though there are norms to check stray animals, neither the MCC officials nor the cattle owners, are bothered. Most of the accidents occur during night hours, as some roads lack street lights.
The city has nearly 2,000 cows and buffaloes as a large number of people depend on dairy farming for their livelihood.
The movement of cattle is high in Hunsur Road, near Paduvarahalli Circle, Bannur Road, Vani Vilas Double Road, Mysuru-Kollegal Road, near Agrahara Circle, Chamaraja Double Road, KG Koppal, Nazarabad, near Devaraja Market and Sita Vilas Road.
On Wednesday, a cow died on the spot when a goods carrier carrying steel rods, hit it near Alanahalli. Similarly, a motorist sustained severe injuries as his two-wheeler hit a cow on Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering (SJCE) Road on Tuesday. A cow died on the spot as a goods vehicle hit it on Mysuru-Hunsur Road, near Aishwarya Petrol bunk, a few months ago. People tried to assault the driver of the vehicle.
Govinda, a street vendor on SJCE Road, said, several people in adjoining areas rear cattle and let them free in the morning.
“The animals roam in parts of the city in search of fodder. Many accidents occur during evening time as the road lacks street lights. Due to the negligence of the owners as well as the MCC, the animals and the motorists suffer. The City Police should intervene to curb the menace,” he said.
However, MCC officials claim that they are imposing a penalty on the owners of the cattle if they are found straying. “We book at least 10 cases against cattle owners a day. The MCC has provisions to collect a fine of Rs 500 per violation. If the violation continues, the animals will be shifted to a shelter,” he said.
There are no guidelines for rearing animals in the city. But, the owners must ensure that the animals will not harm or disturb people or traffic movement. There are nearly 15,000 cattle, including cow, buffalo, goat and sheep in the city, an official.