The growing menace of stray-cows, dogs and buffaloes-is posing a threat to the people especially the road users at night. One finds most of the roads occupied by these animals. A cursory round of various areas of the city is just enough to conclude that both interior as well as main roads of the city are being occupied by hundreds of stray animals causing lot of inconvenience to both pedestrians as well as the vehicles. On an average, around five to six hundred stray cattle are found roaming in various parts of the city every day. These animals are becoming a cause of many fatal accidents day in and day out. The two-wheelers are at a greater risk of accidents due to these unchecked animals, particularly during the night hours. The old Jammu city is worst affected by this menace. These animals not only become a cause of accidents but also make the city roads dirty. The Himachal Pradesh High Court’s recent order making it clear abandoning of animals by owners including cows and buffaloes would also amount to cruelty. The Court decided that all cattle found within the limit of civic bodies should have a tag number indicating the owner to whom the animals belong in order to trace the owner and Challan them for violations. Can the administration take a leaf from Himachal and initiate some steps so that road user’s safety is not on peril.
