Haryana gaushalas fail to keep up as stray cattle figures continue to swell
In the last year alone, the number of stray cattle increased by 51,000 in the state
KARNAL: Even as the number of gaushalas (cow shelters) in Haryana has gone up threefold in the last five years, from 175 in 2017 to over 700 in 2022, the ever-increasing stray cattle population has ensured that these have remained overcrowded. As per information, the state currently has around five lakh stray cattle.
In the last year alone, the number of stray cattle increased by 51,000 while 116 new gaushalas were set up during this period. Sirsa tops the chart in terms of the highest number of stray cattle (56,389) and is followed by Hisar and Sonepat district. The ongoing fodder crisis has only added to the problems of gaushalas already struggling with space and fund crunch.
Menace for farmers, commuters
Stray animals are not just a cause of worry for farmers, who say that these enter their fields and damage the crops, but also pose a risk to lives of commuters on highways and city roads.
In response to Panipat-based activist PP Kapoor’s RTI query, the office of Haryana director general of police had stated that on an average, at least 10 people die here every month due to accidents caused by stray animals.
Between February 2018 and March 2020, a total of 241 people were killed in road accidents involving stray cattle in Haryana.
Why numbers are increasing
People associated with gaushalas and cow vigilantes are of the view that Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Act, 2015, has resulted in an increase in the number of stray cows and oxen, as the Act made cow slaughter and smuggling punishable with rigorous imprisonment up to 10 years.
Moreover, the dependency on cows increased in the past couple of years with buffalo population seeing a decline of around 24%, as per the 2019 livestock census. Another factor is that the low fertility rate among cows of foreign breed has led to people abandoning these animals faster as these are considered a liability once they stop producing milk.
“Most cows are abandoned once their reproductive life, spanning eight to nine years, comes to an end. Once they are unable to produce milk, farmers abandon these animals as they find it hard to afford their upkeep,” said a senior official from Haryana department of animal husbandry and dairying.
To check this practice, the government had started tagging the cows. But the initiative failed as farmers started abandoning the cows after removing the tags.
Funds not enough: Gaushala owners
Having an annual budget of Rs 50 crore, Haryana Gau Sewa Ayog allocated Rs 27 crore to all 562 registered gaushalas in the state last financial year but gaushala authorities say the funds are not sufficient to meet the needs. This year, gaushalas were allocated Rs 20 crore for infrastructural needs and Rs 30 crore for fodder.
Des Raj, founder member of Shri Krishna Gaushala at Ladwa of Kurukshetra district, says, “The number of stray cattle in our gaushala has increased from 300 to 700 in the last five years. We don’t have space to accommodate anymore. We got a grant of Rs 3 lakh from Gau Sewa Ayog, but it is of little help considering that our annual expenditure goes up to around Rs 1.20 crore, which includes salaries of 25 caretakers.”
The condition of governmentrun gaushalas is no better. Caretakers of Gauvansh Samvardhan Kendra at Mathana of Kurukshetra revealed that they are short of funds for fodder and unable to clear dues of the previous year.
VC Sharma, manager of Shantivan Gopal Gaushala of Taraori in Karnal, said they require 1,000 quintal fodder to feed over 2,000 cattle in the gaushala every year and depend mostly on donations to meet their expenses. But now they need government’s help for construction of a new shed and acquiring more land.
What officials say
Haryana Gau Sewa Ayog chairman Sarvan Kumar Garg, while admitting that the situation is worrisome, said, “Every village should have a gaushala which can be constructed with the help of local panchayats. Besides, we need to put in more efforts to ensure that the cattle get all basic facilities at these shelters.”
Pankaj Agarwal, commissioner and secretary to Haryana government animal husbandry and dairying department, said that since the number of stray cattle in the state is increasing year by year, there is a need to make gaushalas self-sustainable.
Revenue generation avenues for gaushalas
Garg claimed that the Haryana Gau Sewa Ayog is exploring possibilities of making gaushalas self-dependent. He said a research centre is being set up in Panchkula to provide training to gaushala staff to generate income from cow dung and milk.
A single gaushala can generate around 2.5 crore bags of manure from cow dung. “It will take some time but the issue will be resolved completely,” said Garg. The Gau Sewa Ayog is considering setting up at least one gaushala in every village on the land meant for Gau-Charand (Pasture) and Shamalat.
Technology to help
Dr Virender Singh Rathi, deputy director (headquarters) and credit planning officer, Haryana animal husbandry and dairying department, said that sex-sorted semen is being provided to farmers at subsidised rates of Rs 200 per dose for production of female calves with around 90% accuracy.
He said that nearly 10,000 female calves have already been produced under this technology, thereby helping farmers increase their income.