BMC moves 700 stray bulls to shelters ahead of hockey WC

Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has relocated 706 stray bulls to animals shelters at Jamukoli and Jatni in the past two weeks to end bovine menace in the city ahead of the Men’s Hockey World Cup.
On an average, over 40 heads of cattle are being caught and transported to the shelters. Three agencies have been asked to expedite the drive to catch stray cattle to completely free the smart city of the animals ahead of the tournament. The BMC has set its sight to ensure zero stray cattle on road by December end.
BMC deputy commissioner Ramesh Jena said nearly half the task is over as around 800 more heads of stray cattle are still there on road and they need to be relocated. “I think in another 20 days, the city will be free of stray cattle menace. The change is visible as presence of stray cattle is getting thinner on roads,” Jena said.
Stray cattle keep occupying the middle of the main arterial roads and refuse to move an inch till people come out of their cars and put in an effort to drive them away. As a result, traffic jams are a regular sight on several roads. Minor accidents (bulls hitting the vehicles and vice-versa) keep happening routinely.
During the 2018 Men’s Hockey World Cup, many cows and bulls within a 2-km radius of the Kalinga Stadium, the venue of the event, had been shifted to shelters.
The BMC is catching stray cattle after 11 pm so as not to disturb commuters and vehicular traffic. Also, night catching helps squads to shift them easily to the designated shelters. During day, it is difficult to transport them, officials said.