Assembly speaker calls stray cattle situation alarming, seeks MCD report
Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta on Monday directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to submit a report on stray cattle, stating that the situation on the roads is “alarming” and requires “immediate action”.
After several MLAs from both the ruling and opposition parties raised the issues of stray animals and garbage collection in the city, the Speaker asked the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Commissioner to appear before the House’s special committee.
BJP MLA Harish Khurana raised the matter of stray cattle during special mentions in his Assembly constituency, Moti Nagar. BJP and AAP MLAs also raised the issue, especially the plight of cows, alleging that illegal dairies were causing the problem of stray animals roaming city roads. They also demanded action against those who leave cows on the road after milking them.
“It is an alarming situation on the roads; several members of the House raised this matter. We would like to know what steps the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has taken in this regard. This requires immediate action. The MCD Commissioner should submit a report,” Speaker Gupta said.
He referred the matter to the MCD Committee of the Delhi Assembly to get a detailed report from the civic body.
The Speaker also referred the garbage collection issue, raised by the MLAs, to the House panel. BJP MLA Khurana said the illegal dairy owners milk these cows and then leave them on roads.
“This is raising a very serious problem. There is a need for strict action on such people and a special committee should be constituted to get to the root cause of the problem,” he said. Khurana said strict action is needed against such people who don’t take care of cattle and a special committee should be constituted to get to the root cause of the problem. Another BJP MLA, Surya Kumar Khatri, said there have also been several incidents of stray cattle injuring walkers. “There have been incidents where some people have died due to an attack by stray cattle. There should be more gaushalas in the city, or more designated spaces to keep these stray cattle safely,” Khatri said.
BJP MLA OP Sharma heads the MCD Committee of the Delhi Legislative Assembly to oversee civic issues raised in the House.
Speaker Gupta shared MLAs’ concerns and said the stray animal problem was becoming severe, requiring immediate action to ensure the safety of Delhiites and the welfare of the animals.
He said the MCD report should mention the number of gaushalas in Delhi, available space and capacity, arrangements for accommodating rescued cattle, procedure followed after cattle are impounded, and action taken against those responsible for leaving them on public roads.
