Citizen Connect: Cattle menace continues on Pammal streets

The public in Pammal and its neighbourhood were a happy lot when the Greater Chennai Corporation imposed penalty on cattle owners who let the cows and buffaloes loose on public roads, creating problems for motorists and pedestrians. The civic body had even collected a fine of Rs 10,750 from the owners. However, their elation did not last long.

The stray cattle menace in and around Pammal in Pallavaram continues to bother residents and motorists. Nalla Thambi street, Anna Nagar, Pozhichalur main road, Gowthaman street and Pammal main road are a few places where the cattle often found loitering around.

Pammal Municipality officials admitted to receiving many complaints from residents, but pointed out that tackling the issue was challenging because of various reasons. “One of the reasons is that the cattle owners may lose their livelihood if we take action,” said a senior official from Pammal Municipality, offering a rather sympathetic reason for going soft on the matter. This despite conceding that the cattle owners continue to allow their cows and buffalos roam around on streets despite imposing fines on repeat offenders.

The trouble for the people only gets worse during nights, added a resident of Anna Nagar. “Recently, while I was riding my two wheeler, I hit a buffalo that was on the middle of the road. Such accidents happen regularly,” said S Venkatesan, the resident. He alleged that authorities do not implement rules strictly.

K N Ashok, who runs a shop situated on Pammal Main Road, said that it was also tough for the four-wheeler drivers to negotiate these cattle on road. “The drivers fail to notice the cattle at night. Last Friday, a cab driver came across a stray cattle all of a sudden. He was forced to apply brakes, and another car hit the vehicle from behind,” he recalled.

Another official from the Pallavaram municipality alleged that even when the animals were impounded, the owners get them back using the influence of local politicians. “They pay the fine and continue to indulge in the same offence,” he added.

As per statistics from the last eight years, the corporation impounded over 7,000 cattle and collected fines up to Rs 1 crore from the owners.