Touted as the first such facility in the country, the cow sanctuary in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh has stopped accepting more cattle due to "shortage" of fodder and water, an official said on Monday.

 Around five months after inauguration, the Kamdhenu Gau Abhayaranya, located in Agar-Malwa district, stopped accepting cows for want of water and fodder since February this year.

"The sanctuary has stopped admitting the cows since February, as it is facing shortage of water and green pasture for grazing," the Animal Husbandry department official said, adding that admission of the cows will resume once the shortage ends.

The sanctuary, spread in an area of 472 hectares, was opened with a view to accommodate 6,000 stray and abandoned cows in its 24 sheds, and to promote pesticides and medicines derived from cow dung and urine, he added.

"Right now, the shelter has 4,120 cows," the official said.

He said the Public Health and Engineering department has started digging wells to overcome the water shortage, and green grass is grown on the campus of the sanctuary.

The official dismissed reports that the shelter home was facing any paucity of funds.

"The cow shelter home is getting sufficient funds to manage its affairs, contrary to reports that it has run short on funds," he said.

Kamdhenu Gau Abhayaranya chairman and district collector Ajay Gupta too dispelled reports about shortage of funds.

"Our recurring monthly expenditure to run the shelter is around Rs 30 lakh. We are getting funds from the government regularly," he added.

The sanctuary is dependent on the government funds for managing its affairs.

It does not have its own source of income as it only gets cows which are old and sick or have stopped producing milk.