Stray cattle, dogs cause safety concerns in Avadi, residents criticise Corpn's inaction

CHENNAI: Despite complaints of stray cattle and dogs posing a safety risk to pedestrians and school children, the Avadi Municipal Corporation seems to be a sleeping giant.

Residents and motorists lament that complaints to the civic officials had fallen on deaf ears. In most cases, they fume over the extra precautions they are forced to take while crossing the roads due to the fear of a stray dog and cattle attacking them.

Pedestrians accuse the officials of being lackadaisical while addressing grievances, and often fail to attend to the issues that are common in several wards under the Avadi Corporation.

In some roads, the cattle lounge on the middle of the road, and often resemble the central median, which is again a huge safety concern for motorists. “There’s always heavy traffic on NM Road, one of the arterial roads in the neighbourhood, at any time during the day.

Since the Corporation office is located there, pedestrian footfall is also high. Those who want to commute by trains, they too take this road to reach the railway station. On such a busy road, cows and bulls are often seen sitting in the middle, or crossing the road suddenly,” pointed out Madhavi K, a daily commuter.

In many cases, due to space constraints, cattle owners leave the animals on the roads. When contacted, a senior official at the Avadi Corporation, said “Steps will be taken to resolve the issue. Usually, when such complaints are raised by residents, the cattle are taken to the Cholambedu animal shelter.”