Protecting cattle from cold in open shelters a challenge for govt
LUCKNOW: After many stray cattle were reported to have died due to poor arrangements in cow shelters in several districts during the rains this year, the state government now faces an even bigger challenge of protecting four lakh cattle from the vagaries of winter.
There are hundreds of makeshift cow shelters running in the open with not even boundary walls around. The cattle staying there may be the most vulnerable to fog and cold wave even as adequate arrangements are still not in place at most of these places. Principal secretary, animal husbandry, BL Meena said instructions had been issued to all the
DMs and other officers concerned to make arrangements to protect stray cattle in cows shelters from the cold.
“We have asked them to stretch canopies over open cow shelters and put gunny bags on cattle, as per requirement, in winter,” he said.
“No doubt, this is a challenge,” he admitted. He claimed Rs 20 crore had been released to the districts and additional Rs 1 crore would be made available to them shortly for the proper upkeep of cattle.
“We have also asked officials to shift the cattle from one shelter, where there are only a few animals, to a bigger one with adequate space during the winter,” Meena said.
Sources in the animal husbandry department, however, said the government had not allotted any separate funds for winter arrangements for the cattle.
“The DMs have been asked to put arrangements in place with
THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF MAKESHIFT COW SHELTERS RUNNING IN THE OPEN WITH NOT EVEN BOUNDARY WALLS AROUND. THE CATTLE STAYING THERE MAY BE THE MOST VULNERABLE TO FOG AND COLD WAVE
funds generated locally by panchayats and municipalities, besides enlisting NGOs’ and public support,” they said.
There are around 3.75 lakh stray cattle living in 4,200 makeshift cow shelters and 392 kanji houses and 98 cow protection centers since the Yogi Adityanath government ordered catching of stray cattle in December last year after growing public outcry over the stray cattle menace.
The menace started in the wake of the ban on illegal slaughterhouses and animal fairs by the present government immediately after it came to power in March 2017.
Besides, creating temporary cow shelters, the government launched a scheme under which anyone could adopt a cattle from a cow shelter against certain terms and conditions. The government has set a target of giving at least one lakh cattle up for adoption by March 2020.
But only around 30,000 cattle have been given up for adoption so far. The government, however, does not see running cow shelters as a permanent solution to the problem of farmers unleashing cattle after they become economically unviable for them.
“The problem basically lies in the faulty breeding policy. We are correcting this by promoting artificial insemination (AI). This would not only increase the population of female calves but also produce a breed of cows that gives more milk, Meena said.