Coming up in MP: a cow sanctuary

“The fate of these cows always remains uncertain. The sanctuary would ensure that the animals are taken care of and not allowed to let die,” Susner BJP MLA Fulchand Vaidiya, the brain behind the idea, told The Sunday Express.

The sanctuary will take shape over 472 hectares of a barren patch of land in Faraspura, Shyampura, Semli Baira and Narera villages of Susner Tehsil of the district. Shajapur falls on the Bombay-Agra highway, a major route for legal and illegal transport of cows meant for slaughter. Vaidiya said a dam would be built in the proposed sanctuary to arrange for a permanent source of drinking water for the cows. He said tender has already been issued for the dam to be constructed at a cost of Rs 1 crore.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan officially cleared the proposal on Saturday. When Chouhan visited his constituency a couple of months back he had laid the foundation stone for the dam although the function did not figure in his itinerary. The proposed dam will in turn provide irrigation facility to a couple of neighbourhood villages.

Vice-chairman of Cow Protection Board Meghraj Jain said the sanctuary would provide shelter to around 5,000 cows. “Although the land was mostly barren the project would ensure sufficient grass. Sheds will be built for the animals and trees will be planted all over,” he said.

The land reserved for the proposed sanctuary has been carved out of half a dozen villages. Initially, the villagers showed some resistance but got around the idea after the intervention of the local administration. Jain said farmers often abandoned unproductive cows and they either die a natural death or end up in a slaughterhouse. The sanctuary would ensure that such animals die a peaceful death. Besides, cow dung would be used as fuel and fertiliser.

He said the board was in contact with several NGOs working to protect cows to make the expe-riment a success. Vaidiya said the sanctuary would allow farmers, or whoever is interested in conservation of cows, to take away animals they find useful. Care would be taken to ensure that the animals are safe.