Mayor Announces Stricter MCG Drive Against Stray Cattle

GURUGRAM: Mayor Raj Rani Malhotra on Friday announced stricter measures against the stray cattle problem after ward councillors raised civic and road-safety concerns in the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram House, officials said on Saturday.

The issue was taken up at the MCG House meeting on Friday, where councillors pressed for tighter enforcement. The discussion followed approval of 14 ad hoc committees for civic and infrastructure subjects. Ward councillor Naresh Kataria called for a dedicated committee to examine the rising stray cattle load and the growth of dairies in the city.

MCG officials said talks are on about forming that committee and choosing its members. An official said that if a committee is constituted, a notification will be issued in the course of setting up the 14 ad hoc panels. According to MCG figures cited by officials, more than 7,000 stray cattle are roaming Gurugram's streets.

Stretches repeatedly flagged for cattle on the carriageway include Ambedkar Chowk towards Sohna Road, Wazirabad, Sikanderpur, Sunset Boulevard, Khushboo Chowk, Maidawas Road, parts of Old Gurugram, Old Railway Road and the Gurugram-Faridabad road. Cattle stepping into fast traffic, especially after dark, have been linked to two-wheeler and car accidents in earlier civic briefings.

After earlier reporting on the menace, MCG launched a campaign to make the city stray-cattle-free by fielding four teams to catch animals and shift them to gaushalas. On 7 September the corporation also said an agency had been tasked with capturing and transporting stray cattle across designated wards. Dairy operators and livestock owners were warned against letting animals roam on roads, lanes and other public spaces, with legal action threatened against anyone who obstructs the drive.

House-level political backing matters because catching drives often face resistance from dairy owners who allegedly release animals after milking. A dedicated committee, if notified, would give councillors a formal channel to track seizure numbers, gaushala capacity and challans against repeat owners. Officials said enforcement strength has lagged behind the scale of the problem even as agencies and in-house teams have been rotated through zones.

Commuters on Sohna Road, Old Railway Road and the Faridabad corridor report cattle clusters at chowks and service lanes during morning and late-evening peaks. MCG's dual approach (in-house teams plus a contracted agency) is meant to raise nightly catch rates, but shelter capacity and return of seized animals remain practical constraints. The mayor's Friday assurance ties the House debate to that operational push.

Further notifications on committee membership and ward-wise targets are awaited. Until then, the corporation's public line remains that animals found on roads will be seized and that interference with catching teams will invite legal action. Councillors want measurable follow-up rather than one-off drives that fade after a week of visibility.