-SATISH HANDA

As many as 241 persons were reported killed and countless others were injured in past two years with effect from February 1, 2018 to March 2 2020 in mishaps due to stray animals like cows and bulls in Haryana state as per an RTI information and State Information Commissioner information collected from office of Director General Police, Haryana. Information also reveals, according to Cow Safety Law constituted in the year 2015 in the state, the number of accidents due to stray animals has witnessed constant rise in mishaps in past few years.

A information also reveals that there are nearly four lakh stray cows in large number of cow sheds (gaushala) in the state apart from over 1.5 lakh stray animals including cows and bulls wandering on roads in the state. According to information 10772 stray cows and bulls reported died on roads in Sirsa district alone during the year2017-18.and state government constituted district wise committees under the control of Additional Deputy Commissioner in every district with annual budget worth Rs 30 crore aiming Haryana to become a stray animal free state by August 15, 2018 but failed to implement the same, followed by another target to make state stray animal free positively by January 26, 2019 but again failed to achieve target blaming due to neglect on the part of concern officers.

The district wise number of deaths due to stray animals have been reported 40 in Fatehabad district, 38 in Ambala district, 29 in Hisar district, 23 each in Sirsa and Kaithal districts, 16 in Panchkula district, 14 in Sonepat district, 13 in Bhiwani district, 10 in Jhajjar district, 9 in Karnal district, 7 each in Rewari and Yamunanagar districts, 4 in Kurukshetra district,  3 in Charkhi Dadri district, 2 each Faridabad and Palwal districts one in Panipat district. However, no death due to mishap by stray animals was reported in Gurugram, Jind, Nuh and Narnaul districts

Nearly 750 passengers travelling in 14 coaches in Vande Bharat Express train no. 22440 running between Katra and New Delhi had a narrow escape when the train hit a stray animal   on rail track at kilometre number 272/16) village Ghel near Ambala City on March 14 night at around 9 p.m. and driver managed to control the train to overturn and train engine was badly damaged. However, railway staff, GRP and RPF men reached at the spot and train left for destination after a thorough check up by the engineers. Panic spread among passengers travelling in the train due to sudden brake applied by the train driver when train was running at 100 kph speed