Cattle pounds cowed down by indifference

The filth has to be seen to be believed; there are no permanent sweepers at any pound. Khaswadi apart, they are cleaned according to the whims of the sweepers and their supervisors. The watchman at the Sindhwai Mata Road pound proclaims, 8220;The place is cleaned every fortnight or a month.8221; Ask how frequently the water container is cleaned and he says, 8220;See it for yourself.8221; We saw, but almost couldn8217;t believe what we saw.

That8217;s still probably better than the situation at Panigate, where the water has algae growth. While the watchman was not present, residents staying nearby said the water was rarely cleaned and that sweepers were a rare sight.

At Khaswadi, watchman Mohammad Pathan says the supply of green grass was discontinued 25-odd years ago as it was proving expensive and was not available throughout the year. The water enclosure has been leaking for the past few days, turning the ground into a mire of filth and mud; the wall, says Pathan, also needs repairing.

All this naturally takes its toll on the animals. Sources in the VMC8217;s security department, which is responsible for catching cattle, say cows die every two or three days. When the Express Newsline team visited the Panigate pond, a resident said a dead calf had just been removed. Another cow could be seen barely able to support itself. With no postmortem being carried out, reasons for the deaths are not known.

None of the three pounds has a veterinary doctor; according to Assistant Director of the Veterinary Polyclinic Dr Prabhatdev Bhojak, there should be one vet for each pound with more than 25 heads of cattle.

Drinking water contaminated with algal growth, Bhojak said, could cause fungal pneumonia, which could lead to death within six days if it is acute. Drinking stagnant water also causes the liver fluke worm, he added.

As for the diet, a mix of green and dry grass is a must, he said.

Funnily enough, the VMC collects a fine of Rs 250 from the owner of the cows that are caught and Rs 25 for three days to provide the fodder the cows are released after three days. Sources say the VMC spends around Rs 2.50 lakh annually on fodder and an average of Rs 8,000 per month on 24 security men who also catch cattle.

Jaisinh Rabari of Wadi doesn8217;t mince words when he says the VMC should provide proper facilities with the money it collects. Or, at least keep the area clean.

While Labour Welfare Officer Kantibhai Solanki, who is in-charge of the cattle pounds, was not available for comment, Deputy Municipal Commissioner General I B Peerzada admitted that the condition of cattle pounds was bad but hastened to add that things would improve in a fortnight. Or wait until the cows come home.