Bhubaneswar: In order to safeguard vehicular movement on city roads without any interference from stray cattle, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been taking various steps from time to time. Adding another milestone to BMC’s efforts, Odia Language, Literature and Culture and Tourism minister Ashok Chandra Panda Thursday inaugurated a cattle welfare centre at Jamukoli on the city outskirts along the Sundarpada-Jatni Road.
Among others, Bhubaneswar MP Prasanna Patasani, BMC Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena, City Engineer Debasundar Mohapatra, BMC Deputy Commissioner (Animal Welfare) Subhranshu Mishra, executive engineer PSN Patro, assistant executive engineer Saroj Mohapatra, chairman BMC Public Health Standing Committee Biranchi Narayan Mahasupakar, local sarpanch Jyotirmayee Chhotray and former Sarpanch Kartik Chandra Parida were present.
While the minister praised BMC for the animal welfare project, Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena thanked the people of Jamukoli for cooperating with the project of the civic body. Patasani added that for a better-developed and disciplined urban settlement the contribution of the nearby rural pockets is also immensely valuable.
As a step towards the preparations before the hockey World Cup, BMC has initiated a process of ear- tagging of cattle for better identification of their owners and also collecting fines if the animals are found in the kine houses. Till date more than 2,000 cases of ear-tagging has already been done by BMC in collaboration with the Fisheries and Animal Resources Development department.
The cattle welfare centre at Jamukoli is an innovative step under the animal welfare projects of BMC that has been developed over a land of 8 acres, in which shed, water supply facility and grazing ground were added. Currently, the sheds would facilitate shelter for 64 bulls and in future the capacity is likely to increase.
The Jamukoli animal welfare facility also includes adequate water supply facility, veterinary surgeon’s room, grain house and a strong fencing wall. For its better and professional management People For Animals would be given the responsibility.
The local people’s representatives while welcoming the project of BMC said that the civic body has been cooperating and developing the areas on the city outskirts.