Disposal of cow carcass meets with resistance

Rajkot: Jamnagar Municipal Corporation (JMC) teams are facing huge resistance from residents near its dumping site at Theba where the civic body is burying carcasses of cows dying from Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD). According to sources, the site is filled up as the number of carcasses have increased by three times then normal. After the locals protested, the civic body is looking for a new site.
Meanwhile, Panjarapol and Gaushalas, which are treating the sick animals, are complaining that JMC teams have stopped collecting the carcasses for the past five days despite reminders.
Jai Vachraj Gau Seva in Vibhapar, which is a newly merged area with the JMC, treats sick stray cows and also get calls from the entire district about sick cows. Here, 17 cows have died of LSD last week but the trust trust has alleged that no teams from the civic body has come to collect the carcasses despite several reminders in the past five days.
Deepak Chovatiya, trustee of Jai Vachraj Gau Seva said, “We had to finally arrange manpower and vehicles to take these carcasses to the JMC’s dumping site. We have also made representations to JMC officials and the mayor on these issues. Now, we are taking in sick cows only on recommendation by the corporator and only with the assurance that in case of death, JMC will collect the body.”
According to the people working for the animals, the owners abandon the sick cows to die on the road.
Dhaval Raval, who runs ‘Shivdaya Jivdaya’ an NGO said, “Around 50 cows die in the city every day including those that die in gaushalas during treatment. JMC’s disposal teams are taking a day or two even to collect carcasses from the roads. The stench from rotting carcasses pose as a health risk for humans too.”
Municipal commissioner of Jamnagar, Vijay Kharadi told TOI, “We have one dumping site where people are protesting against dumping of carcasses of sick cows. We have convinced them but we have limited space there. Hence, we are now searching for a new space.”
Generally civic bodies use the same site for dumping of animal carcasses after those buried gets decomposed. But according to the sources, the number of death increased due to monsoon and the LSD, which has forced the JMC to find a new site.