Kolkata gets a cattle shelter for stray cows

With the number of road accidents increasing in the Rajarhat New Town area, thanks to the numerous stray cattle, primarily cows suddenly coming in front of speeding vehicles, the state government has decided to set up a cow shelter in New Town. The cow shelter of New Town will house stray cows and buffaloes that keep wandering onto the roads that run through New Town and Rajarhat. The New Town Development Authority hopes to make this shelter functional by the end of next month.

The shelter is coming up on a 3-acre plot in Action Area ID of New Town. It will have 20 feeding blocks. Over 50 cattle heads can roam within the complex. They will also forcibly remove stray cattle from roads and put them in this shelter. A committee of vets will look after the stray cattle housed in this shelter. Staff looking after these cattle will be trained at Haringhata Animal Resources Development unit. Last year, almost 100 cows were injured by speeding vehicles in the township and three persons including a six-year-old girl were killed after their bikes skidded off the rad while trying to avoid stray cows.