BMC plans to hire private agency to tackle stray cattle

Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation will hire a private agency to capture stray cattle obstructing roads in Odisha‘s capital. Additional commissioner Kailash Chandra Dash said the corporation plans to engage a private party because its two cattle‑catching vehicles are insufficient for the roughly 2,000 stray cattle currently housed in six BMC sheds. “Currently, we are using our own resources with two cattle‑catching vehicles, but it is insufficient. We will intensify the drive,” Dash said. The selected agency will relocate animals to any of the existing sheds until the proposed 17‑acre mega shelter at Jamukoli becomes operational, which is expected to accommodate about 3,000 cattle and include a veterinary hospital, food storage and staff. Officials warned that stray cattle often block traffic, cause minor accidents and feed on waste, and they estimate around 30 cattle may die daily in the new facility, about 1 % of its capacity.