With the stray cattle menace still rampant in many parts of Chennai city, a woman allegedly fell on the road Sunkuwar Street Bridge which connects to the Kamarajar Salai in Triplicane under Ward 116 in Zone 9 as a stray cow approached her on Friday, October 20.
Sources said the incident occurred around 1 p.m. when the U. Selvi, 51, of Sunkawar Street, who was going to dispose of garbage, was startled by the cow, causing her to fall. Her sister took the woman to the T.N. Government Multi-Super-Speciality Hospital in Omandurar Estate where she was reported to be fine, according to official sources.
This incident follows a recent goring of an elderly person with a disability by stray cattle in the same area, raising fears among Triplicane residents.
Sudha, a local in Triplicane, stated, “The cow may have been attracted to the smell or thought she was going to feed it. Owners must tie the cows up, as advised by Commissioner J.Radhakrishnan, to prevent blockages on streets, especially near the Parthasarathy temple.”
Residents in T.P Koil lanes expressed that even as Corporation captured cows, stray cattle are back on the streets the very next day. “There are approximately 50 cows on each side of Singachari Street daily, posing hazards to pedestrians and two-wheeler riders,” a local there claimed.
Similar complaints emerged from across Chennai, including Pallikaranai, Velachery Main Road, St. Thomas Mount, Tondiarpet, Adyar, Thiruvanmiyur area.
Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner J.Radhakrishnan outlined a three-step plan: compelling owners to provide 36sq.ft per cow for secure tethering, imposing fines of Rs. 10,000 for repeat offenders, and sensitising the public, who revere these cows, to refrain from feeding stray animals. Earlier on Friday, he had inspected the 13 cows impounded in the Corporation pond in Perambur.
People can register their grievances to the GCC by calling 1913.
