Panchkula: Over a year after missing its latest Aug 31 deadline to make city roads stray cattle-free, the Panchkula municipal corporation (MC) has seen its cattle-catching drive grind to a near standstill as existing gaushalas reach full capacity, leaving animals roaming freely across public spaces.The lack of space in overcrowded shelters has left cattle wandering through roads, parks, parking lots, open grounds, and national highways, causing traffic congestion, worsening civic sanitation, and leading to fatal road accidents.To tackle the growing population of bulls on the streets, the MC recently floated tenders to build a dedicated Nandishala, but the project remains stalled at the bidding stage.Resident welfare groups have voiced sharp concern over the civic body’s inaction and the resulting safety hazards.“No cattle catching teams are operational as there is no space at gaushalas. The teams only operate when there is too much issue or some urgency. Otherwise, they keep roaming here and there. Our trans-Ghaggar sectors are full of mess, and complaints regarding the stray cattle menace are not addressed. Besides local roads, they can even be seen on national highways in Panchkula,” said Mohit Gupta of the Sahyog group of Sector 25 residents.SK Nayar, president of the Panchkula Citizens Welfare Association, highlighted the severe conditions around commercial and residential belts.“If you visit Industrial Area and residential spaces near it, you feel like it is a part of some cattle pound. In industrial area, long queues of cattle can be seen roaming in roads and in a park with the MC seems to least bothered. At several waste points or bins, cattle are seen eating. It is high time MC gets serious and even residents should also stop feeding them at non-designated places,” Nayar said.MC commissioner Vinay Kumar did not respond to calls and messages seeking his official response.
