Drive to seize stray cattle under way in Madurai city

Madurai Corporation has begun a drive to catch stray cattle on city roads, with show cause notices being served on errant owners.

Following complaints of freak road accidents caused by stray cattle, the civic body has formed five special teams that will monitor each of the five zones in the city, officials said.

Based on the complaints, officials have warned cattle owners to refrain from letting their animals roam on the roads. Any carelessness or negligence will be viewed seriously.

According to a senior Corporation official, five cattle have been seized from Sellur and Arapalayam on a single day. There have also been complaints of cattle roaming in and around the integrated bus stand, Vaigai south and north banks, Goripalayam, Nelpettai and other places.

“We have taken photographs and videos of the cattle menace, and the owners have been served show ause notices. They have been instructed that the animals would be handed over to government-run cow shed [goshala],” the official said.

Doctors at Government Rajaji Hospital say that 50% of road accidents reported at accident/trauma wards are mostly caused by collision with stray cattle. Bikers, who ride without helmets, suffer head injuries and fractures when they hit the cattle on the roads.

Similarly, due to poor visibility, many two-wheelers and, in some cases, three-wheelers suffer damage to their vehicles too. In cases of drunken driving also, they collide against stray cattle on stretches such as Arapalayam, Nelpettai and Anna Nagar.

An 108 ambulance driver recalls that in two recent, stray cattle died after being hit on Vilangudi Road. In another case reported near Thiruparankundram, a motorist suffered a head injury after he fell to the ground after hitting stray cattle. Poor visibility too has been a factor, he says.