If there is one thing common between stray cattle on the city roads and the team formed by the Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) to catch them, it is that they are both ignorant of the inconvenience being caused to commuters.
Ironically, the RMC team and animals seems to have same thinking pattern — do what is not expected and let the commuters suffer. The team has also failed miserably in controlling encroachment of roads and shields itself under explanations impossible to corroborate.
The RMC’s proposal to keep the city roads free from cattle has always remained confined to paper. The municipal body’s standing committee in 2012 had mooted the idea of catching a stray cattle and keeping it in Ranchi gaushala. However, the gaushala did not receive even a single animal since the standing committee’s decision.
“We have not received any animal from the RMC in last 20 years,” said Joint Secretary of Ranchi gaushala Pramod Shashwat. The RMC failed to bring gaushala authorities on board hence no agreement could be made to provide shelter to animals caught by the team. “There is no agreement between gaushala and RMC to provide shelter to stray animals,” said Shashwat.
After the failed agreement the RMC is said to have made own arrangements to keep the cattle temporarily and auctioning them if not returned to the owner. But the municipal body doesn’t know how many cattle it has picked up from street and returned to the owner or auctioned if not claimed by any.
“RMC’s has its own cattle shed where animals are kept and auctioned after following certain procedures,” said PRO of RMC Naresh Kumar Sinha.
Nevertheless, animal catching is task at the discretion of the team formed only to catch animals roaming on roads and occasionally causing vehicles to come to screeching halt or leading to fatal accidents.
Shashwat added, “Do they ever catch a stray animalIJ You can see them roaming freely on the streets.”