To save crops, two Jawali panchayats lead drive to shift 80 head of stray cattle to gaushala

Stray cattle destroyed crops and threatened road safety in the lower Kangra region, prompting two panchayats to relocate animals to a gaushala. Bharupalahad and Manei gram panchayats in the Jawali Assembly constituency of Kangra district shifted 80 stray cattle, comprising 55 bulls and 25 cows, to a government-built gaushala at Haar village near Jawali. The facility is run by the NGO Shri Manimahesh Seva Samiti. The operation took place with permission from the SDM and the Animal Husbandry Department, involving local residents, panchayat representatives, and a veterinary team led by Dr Sahil Chaudhary that caught, tagged, sterilized, and treated the animals. Repeated crop damage had discouraged cultivators and caused road safety risks from sudden movements and attacks on passersby. Darshan Dhiman, pradhan of Manei panchayat, and Aman Chaudhary, up-pradhan of Bharupalahad panchayat, stated, “Both panchayats had become stray cattle free after this drive was undertaken with community participation.” The panchayats will form youth teams to monitor areas, check vehicles suspected of nighttime abandonment, and take strict action against offenders. The Animal Husbandry Department appealed to cattle owners to manage livestock responsibly to protect crops and public safety.