Prohibition on cow slaughter leads to overcrowded gaushalas in Haryana
KARNAL: The Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Act, 2015, which makes cow slaughter a punishable offence, inviting up to 10 years of imprisonment, has brought trouble for the state’s gaushalas which are being stretched beyond its capacity.
As cow smuggling and killing of cattle has become illegal, the gaushalas are forced to accommodate more cattle than capacity.
Somnath, the manager of Shri Krishna Gaushala Ladwa of Kurukshetra district, says, “We have a capacity of of 250 but at present we housing a total of 602 bulls and cows. There are only four cows that can produce milk and we do not have any other source of income. For salaries of our 22 employees and fodder and medicines for the cattle, we depend on donations,” he says.
The tale is no different in Yamunanagar. Badhawa Rama Gaushala, Damla, Yamunanagar, houses 375 cows and bulls. This gaushala too is forced to dependent upon farmers to donate wheat fodder, grass, feed and cash.
GOVT FUND NOT ENOUGH
Having an annual budget of ₹20 crore, the Haryana Gau Sewa Ayog gives the gaushalas a meagre amount of ₹150 annually for the upkeep of one animal. Those working in the gaushalas say the amount is not sufficient to feed the cattle throughout the year.
Having left with no other option, the gaushalas have started taking donations (₹1100 per cattle) from farmers, who want to leave their cattle in the gaushala after these fail to produce milk. But most of the farmers do not pay the donation and prefer to leave their cattle on the outskirts of the cities, sources in the gaushalas reveal.
The government’s move to set up more gaushalas also failed to deal with the problem of stray cattle.
“In December last year, there were only 50 bulls and cows in our gaushala but now the number of the cattle has increased to over 450, and every month at least 50 new are coming to this Gaudham being run by the Karnal municipal corporation,” says Ishwar Singh, caretaker of the Karnal Gaudham and Nandigram.