Gurgaon: More than 6,000 stray cattle were still roaming Gurgaon’s roads at the start of this year despite thousands being caught and moved to shelters. Now, Haryana plans to try a different approach — tag the animals and make their owners accountable when they turn up on the streets.Chief minister Nayab Singh Saini has directed officials to launch a statewide drive to tag every head of cattle, including animals caught by urban local bodies before they are handed over to gaushalas. The idea is to make it possible to trace cattle back to their owners instead of repeatedly catching the same animals.Gurgaon remains one of the worst-affected cities in the state: official data showed 6,153 stray cattle on the city’s roads as of Jan 1, 2026, even after MCG caught 5,387 cattle between Aug 2024 and Dec 2025. An MCG survey cited by the civic body put the number of stray cattle and other animals roaming across the city at more than 35,000.Enforcement, meanwhile, has remained weak. MCG issued just 24 challans against cattle owners in 2025, collecting around Rs 2.7 lakh in fines.The new mechanism, discussed at Wednesday’s meeting, proposes a Rs 11,000 fine when an animal is caught for the first time, Rs 21,000 for a second offence and an FIR if the same owner’s cattle are caught a third time. “Repeat offenders could also lose govt support for vaccination and insurance of their animals and be put on a negative list,” said the officer. The chief minister has directed that animals should not be returned without the prescribed action being completed.MCG has been trying to strengthen its catching operations. In Aug, it floated a Rs 1.8 crore tender to appoint two agencies for a citywide drive to catch and relocate stray cattle. Under the state plan, district-wise tenders will also be floated to catch stray cattle across other districts.The problem has also become a road-safety concern, with cattle frequently reported on major roads, intersections and residential stretches. In Jan, an accident involving an auto trying to avoid stray cattle on Golf Course Road killed two people, according to a recent report.Cattle sanctuaries are to be equipped with fencing and boundary walls, while land will be used to grow green fodder, and arrangements for water and other basic requirements are to be strengthened. Haryana currently has 707 registered gaushalas housing around 4 lakh cattle.Saini also asked officials to prepare a plan to tackle the stray-dog problem, with urban local bodies and animal husbandry departments expected to work together.
