Stray animals are becoming a menace at the Jharsuguda railway station and other public places. Bulls and cows freely roam on the platforms and cause obstacles in the movement of passengers as they lock horns.
A middle-aged couple in such an incident got severely injured in a fight between two bulls in the railway station on Friday last. They are also obstructing the flow of traffic in other areas of the district namely, Sarbahal Chowk, Jhanda Chowk, Railway Station Road, Mangal Bazar Road, Bus Stand, Telephone Exchange, Durga Mandap and Behramal Main Road.
Despite several requests to railway and local municipal authorities, any action has not yet been taken to counter this problem.
Jharsuguda Railway Station Master SN Pati said the railway authorities had launched stray animals catching drive, but they are returning repeatedly.
Many times, bulls lock horns on the roads and pose threat to the lives of the passersby. Recently, a stray cow had knocked down a woman in Mangal bazar weekly vegetable market when she was buying vegetables. Such sights have become common. There is an urgent need to flush out stray animals from the public spaces.
Municipality Chairperson Harish Ganatra said the municipality conducts a drive against the stray cattle menace on a routine basis, but the problem remains far from being solved.