I received another mail from SM Hussain who writes, “In spite of the recent Supreme Court order to round up stray cattle in the city and promises by the MCD Commissioner, yet another case of stray bull attacking people has come to light. In this case, the victim was 15-year old Dimpi Puri, a resident of I.P. Extension, who was brutally attacked by a stray bull on late Tuesday (April 26) evening.

“Animals are a big nuisance for the smooth flow of traffic in the city. They are responsible for many road accidents and traffic jams. Many motorists have narrowly escaped, especially during night, when these animals jump from nowhere in front of speeding vehicles. The danger escalates more on the stretches where there are no fences/railings between the roads. It is also a common site for Delhiites to see bovines sitting in the middle of the roads.

“Tourists visiting from other countries think that animals too have their lanes on Delhi roads. Cows are attracted to dustbins to eat the leftovers. They also peep through the car windows non-chalantly because some people are in the habit of feeding them with 'rotis' in the hope of achieving salvation.

“MCD should take the following measures to get rid of these animals from Delhi roads: (i) Eviction of dairies from the city (ii) All dust-bins should be properly covered without any spillage. (iii) Impounding the animals and auctioning them in other states. (iv) Strict penalties on the owners of the stray-cattle for letting them loose on the roads. People should stop feeding cows on the roadsides but help 'goshalas' or animal shelters for the rehabilitation of stray animals.”

I think MCD has improved on this count according to a Delhi Traffic Police official. He told me that; “They have improved a lot as whenever we message them about stray cattle, they pick them up immediately. They are taking action nowadays. The only thing is that this process should continue.”

However, the thing is that the MCD department handling this is very small. I think the staff should be increased so that they can clear the mess. Moreover, the suggestions given by Hussain are good enough to clear the mess if followed judiciously.