Court seeks DC reply on stray cattle

The petition was filed by a Panchkula-based couple,Pankaj and Sangeeta Chandgothia,under Section 91 of CPC,relating to “Public Nuisance”.

The application claims that stray cattle are often found sitting or moving in the middle of busy roads,leading to sudden stopping of vehicles,giving rise to the risk of accidents and resultant injuries and loss of life.

It asks for a special cell to be created with representatives from all concerned department including the administration,municipal corporation and police,in order to deal with this problem.

“The stray cattle must immediately be removed from the streets/roads and a scheme needs to put in place to prevent them from coming on to roads and public spaces,to ensure the safety of the general public,” it says.

It suggests a compensation policy,wherein the administration should be liable to compensate any person who suffers on account of the stray cattle menace. It adds that the defendants (DC Panchkula,Municipal Council,Panchkula and SP,Panchkula) are not fulfilling their duty under various relevant laws/statutes including the Cattle Trespass Act,which has further compounded the problem.

In interim relief,the application requests that during the pendency of the application,the defendants be directed to deploy home guard volunteers or other suitable workers armed with the powers,equipment and duty to keep stray cattle and street urchins/vendors off the city roads,in collaboration with other enforcement staff such as traffic police and inspectors of Municipal Corporation.