BMC to launch spl drive from today to catch cattle

Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) will carry out a special drive from Jayadev Vihar to KIIT Square here to catch stray cattle from Tuesday.
The stray cattle not only disrupts traffic on the busy stretch, but they are also an eyesore. The animals occupy the centre of the main artery and don’t move till drivers or commuters drive them away. This leads to regular traffic congestion and accidents.
BMC deputy commissioner in-charge of animal birth control Ramesh Jena said the stretch will be given special focus as it is the only major artery between KIIT University and Jayadev Vihar along which big hotels and offices are located.
“People also use this stretch to shuttle between Bhubaneswar and Cuttack as taking this route shortens the distance between the two cities. Also, people visit Nandankanan zoo and it is the only stretch to go there. The stretch takes quite a load of traffic and the cattle menace adds to the woes of commuters. That’s why we decided to take it on a mission mode to end the menace on this route,” he said.
Recently, the BMC floated tender to invite suitable private agency to participate in bidding so that they can be hired to carry out the cattle-catching drive in the city.
“Once the two more cattle-catching vehicles are used, our daily intake (cattle in van) will go up from four to eight). At present, the BMC has two cattle catching vehicles. Each one can accommodate maximum of five cows or four bulls at a time,” Jena added. BMC officials said the process of catching cattle is quite time consuming.