Goa government's stray cattle management scheme gets good response

Panaji, Jul 31 (PTI) Amidst rising incidents of accidents due to stray cattle on the road, the Pramod Sawant-led Goa government is encouraging Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) to start Gaushalas or cow shelters.

Annually, on average 365 deaths in road accidents are reported in the state, and 25 percent of them are due to stray cattle, Sawant informed the Goa legislative assembly recently.
He also appealed to MLAs to encourage the NGOs in their constituencies to take benefit of the state's Stray Cattle Management Scheme and start Gaushalas.
The scheme, a brainchild of then chief minister late Manohar Parrikar, is helping reduce the population of stray cattle on the roads, specially on the highways. As per the state government records, there are now eight Gaushalas in the state.
A senior official of the Animal Husbandry department said that under the scheme, Gaushalas are given Rs 150 per animal, per day. NGOs are also provided financial help for constructing cow shelters and buying a vehicle with hydraulic lift to pick up stray animals from the streets.
At Betul plateau in South Goa district, 80 km from Panaji, Dhyan Foundation has set up one such Gaushala. The foundation has another Gaushala at Jambaulim village. It also runs a veterinary hospital for rescued cattle at Sirohi village in the district.
Pankaj Sharma, manager of Dhyan Foundation, said they have been rescuing cows from all across Goa. "Whenever we get a call to rescue a cow, we rush with our vehicle. If there is injury to the cattle, it is shifted to the hospital," he said.
The Dhyan Foundation's facilities in Goa now have more than 1,200 cows rescued from the streets.
Getting inspired from the existing Gaushalas, a group of youngsters from Dabhal village in Dharbandora taluka of South Goa took the initiative to start a Gaushala under the scheme.
The Gaushala, constructed at Nirancal village, is spread over 27,000 square metres. Sanket Tendulkar, director of the Organisation for People and Animal Welfare, said they have been mandated to rescue cows from the nearby Ponda Municipal council area.
Rescues are usually conducted at night, he said.
The state government provided support for the project after they met officials of the Animal Husbandry department in Panaji, Tendulkar said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)