40 bighas encroached land freed for fodder production

LUCKNOW: On the directions of the chief minister, the district administration has swung into action to ensure the production of good quality green fodder for cows. For this, the administration got freed around 40 bighas of the encroached government land.

The fodder cultivated on this land would be meant to feed some 1800 cows staying at state’s one of the biggest and most organised animal shelter—Kanha Upvan.

The decision came a few days after chief minister Yogi Adityanath visited the shelter. On March 31, accompanied by Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav’s son Prateek Yadav and daughter-inlaw Aparna Yadav, CM Yogi visited Kanha Upvan—an animal shelter in Sarojininagar run by an NGO Jeevaashray.

During the visit, CM Yogi also fed the cattle with grass and jaggery, directing urban development minister to ensure that other municipal corporations of UP also build cow shelters on a similar model.

The CM had also ordered the officers to make all possible efforts to ensure that good quality fodder reaches the cows of Kanha Upvan.

On the directives, the officials took action and found a chunk of 40 bighas of land between Bijnore and Rahimabad in Sarojininagar development block of the city, the best suited place for the cultivation of green fodder.

“It was a government land and we got it freed from the encroachers. We have also lodged FIRs against 20 people in this case. It is, perhaps, the best suited place for cultivating fodder,” sub divisional officer, Shailendra Singh said.

Singh informed that about 60 bigha land was got freed, of which 40 bigha land was agricultural land, hence it was decided to utilize the land to cultivate fodder.

He added that the cost of land is said to be over 50 crores.

A rough estimate suggests that the state has around 483 cow shelters, for which there is a budget of around 7.5 crores.

Officials say that the budget is too less to meet the requirements of the animals.

THE FODDER CULTIVATED ON THIS LAND WOULD BE MEANT TO FEED SOME 1800 COWS STAYING AT KANHA UPVAN