MAPUSA
After a brief respite, the stray cattle menace is back and with a vengeance along the narrow roads of Pomburpa village.
The sudden return of bovines to the roads has resulted in unnecessary traffic snarls and minor accidents.
The stray cattle have been occupying the entire road stretch of around 5 kms from Olaulim to Ecoxim causing much inconvenience to the motorists and pedestrians.
Locals said first of all the main Pomburpa road was very narrow and now with the bovines occupying these roads has further compounded the problems of the motorists in the area.
“We have been facing this nuisance of stray cattle for the last several months. It’s not just a one off incident. Almost every day we find the bovines occupying our narrow streets causing untold problems to motorists and pedestrians in the area,” said Vijay Shirodkar, a resident of Pomburpa.
He said shooing away these bovines from the road was an uphill task as they moved around in large numbers and were difficult to control.
A shopkeeper said the local panchayat should take urgent steps to address the stray cattle issue on priority.
“The safety of citizens must not be compromised due to the inability of the authorities to tackle the problem effectively,” he said.
Another resident of Olaulim said, “The authorities should come up with a concrete plan to deal with the menace of stray cattle for the safety of people and smooth movement of traffic.”
The issue of stray cattle is not new for the panchayat.
In the past, the panchayat had undertaken drives to round up these animals but the attempt largely remained unsatisfactory.
Pomburpa Sarpanch Leopoldina Fernandes informed that the panchayat has now signed a contract with Mayem gaushala which will soon start lifting the stray cattle and house them at the gaushala.
“The panchayat had some bank issues to transfer the amount to the gaushala for the service rendered. It is nearly complete now. As soon as the amount is transferred the gaushala personnel will lift the stray cattle from the village roads,” Fernandes said.
She further said that local residents were also informed to desist leaving their cattle on roads.
