Why UP needs to take stray cattle menace by its horns
LUCKNOW While stray cattle menace continues to be a statewide phenomenon despite all efforts by the government to contain the problem, 20 districts pose a particularly bigger challenge to authorities in Uttar Pradesh.
₹50 per animal daily on feed alone. (Pic for representation)” title=”The state has established around 7,000 cow protection centres, with more planned, spending ₹50 per animal daily on feed alone. (Pic for representation)” />A recent one-week campaign aimed at sanitising these districts resulted in the capture of only around 50% of the over 6,000 targeted stray cattle, underscoring the ongoing struggle.
The 20 districts identified by the government as more challenging are Unnao, Badaun, Bijnore, Mirzapur, Prayagraj, Aligarh, Muzaffarnagar, Varanasi, Ambedkar Nagar, Mainpuri, Bareilly, Moradabad, Ayodhya, Gonda, Kannauj, Pratapgarh, Sultanpur, Amroha, Ghaziabad and Kanpur Nagar.
“Based on the feedback from public representatives and other sources, we have identified 20 districts in the state where the stray cattle issue is most severe. We conducted a week-long special drive from September 13 to 19 to capture stray cattle in these districts, achieving considerable success,” said PN Singh, director of animal husbandry.
Another official shared that the department set a target of capturing and conserving 6,155 stray cattle across the 20 districts during the drive. “However, only 3,438 cattle were successfully conserved,” he revealed.
Unnao had the highest target, with 1,240 cattle to be captured, of which 943 were secured. Bareilly followed with a target of 663, but only 189 were conserved, and Amroha, with a target of 596, managed to capture and conserve just 103.
The government, however, lacks data on the number of stray cattle still roaming in the state or in these 20 districts. “It’s impossible to estimate the stray cattle numbers. As we capture some, farmers continue to release more once they are no longer useful. This has become an ongoing process,” said Singh.
The 2019 Livestock Census recorded 11.84 lakh stray cattle in Uttar Pradesh, and over 14 lakh have been captured and conserved since the Yogi Adityanath government launched a directive in 2018. The state has established around 7,000 cow protection centers, with more planned, spending ₹50 per animal daily on feed alone.
Despite these efforts, complaints about stray cattle persist across the state.
RN Singh, who retired as director of animal husbandry in July, noted that effectively curbing the stray cattle problem would remain a challenge unless farmers who abandon unproductive cattle face penalties.
“There are already provisions for punishing such farmers but acting against them is not easy due to political sensitivity of the issue,” he said.
