MAPUSA
Concerned over repeated damage to their crops, more than a dozen farmers from Morrod and Bodgini, opposite Bodgeshwar Temple in Mapusa, have urged the Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) to take urgent action against stray cattle that are destroying vegetable and paddy fields.
In a joint representation to the MMC Chief Officer, the farmers under the Shri Dev Bodgeshwar Shetkari Samiti said stray cattle have been regularly entering their fields, causing heavy damage to standing crops and leading to major financial losses.
Samiti president Swapnil Salgaonkar said that despite efforts to protect their fields, cattle continue to stray into farms, affecting their livelihoods and local food production. He added that the problem has been worsening and now needs immediate action from the authorities.
The farmers have sought a permanent and humane solution, asking the civic body to act under the Goa Stray Cattle Management Scheme, 2013, and the Cattle Trespass Act, 1871. They have suggested a special drive to impound stray cattle found in the area, and urged the MMC to sign an MoU with a registered gaushala or animal shelter to house them. They noted that while gaushalas have the facilities to care for cattle, local bodies are responsible for setting up and managing cattle pounds.
The representation also called for strict action against owners who abandon cattle or allow them to stray, stating that the law allows civic bodies to penalise such negligence.
The farmers said working with a registered gaushala would offer a humane and effective solution, while protecting farmland, safeguarding livelihoods and ensuring animal welfare. They have appealed for prompt action from the civic body, saying the issue has become a major nuisance and is causing serious economic losses to the farming community.
