Cattle owners in Tambaram seek grazing land, goshala

CHENNAI: Cattle owners and farmers in Tambaram want the corporation to allot cattle grazing fields, which were available until a few years ago.

Before Tambaram was upgraded as a corporation, the people from villages like Peerkankaranai, Chitlapakkam, Thiruneermalai, Sembakkam, Pammal and Anagaputhur would let their cattle graze on vacant lands in their village; besides, there were also many grazing fields in Irumbuliyur, Selaiyur, Pammal, and Thiruneermalai.

However, over the years, the villages were upgraded as town-panchayats and now they are linked to Tambaram as a corporation. Almost all the fields have been converted into residential plots and all the grazing fields have turned into apartments.

Cattle owners and farmers claimed that as there are no fields for their cattle to graze on, they used to let them roam on the streets for a while. However, even that has become impossible now as Tambaram corporation is collecting a penalty of Rs 2,000 per stray cattle and taking the cattle to a goshala, which is 40 km away.

Cattle owners visited the Tambaram corporation on Monday and filed a petition, asking the corporation to allocate a grazing field for cattle within a five-km radius so that they won’t have to let their cattle roam on the streets. Cattle owners also mentioned that there is a demand for cow milk in Tambaram, and the corporation should make necessary arrangements for cattle so the production of milk will not be affected.

Official sources from the corporation said the search for a plot to construct a goshala nearby is in progress and soon will be finalised.