About 1,300 cows in Rajasthan’s Gehlot government-owned Hingonia Gaushala are on the verge of starvation as the Jaipur Municipal Corporation has not released funds for the gaushala for the past six months. Despite several reminders by Shri Krishna Balram Seva Trust, which looks after the operation and maintenance of the Gaushala, the Municipal Corporation is not in a mood to pay.
According to the news of Times of India, with the increasing number of cattle in the gaushala, the municipal corporation has become dues of more than Rs 3.5 crore. On the other hand, now it is becoming a difficult task for the trust to take care of the cows properly. Center in-charge Premanand Das said, “The workers working here have not received their salaries for the last two months and have threatened to go on strike. A reminder letter was sent to JMC-Heritage on Monday as well. Due to paucity of funds, it is becoming difficult to maintain the cattle in the gaushala.
Cows getting less fodder
The cowshed requires about 60 tonnes of fodder and 15,000 kg of animal feed per day, which costs Rs 6 lakh. Since more than 30-40 stray cows are brought to the gaushala from the city, the situation is expected to worsen due to paucity of funds. A source in Hingonia said, “Since there is a paucity of funds, we are able to provide less fodder to the cattle. If this continues for a long time, the health of the cattle in the gaushala may be affected.
SKBT had done the agreement
Following the death of a large number of cows in the year 2017, the Shri Krishna Balram Seva Trust (SKBT) had entered into an agreement with the Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) for daily management of cattle rehabilitation. The trust had also highlighted the insufficient capacity of the staff looking after the cows, non-increase in the wages given to them and other problems.
Separate department in Rajasthan for cow welfare
A source said, “Rajasthan’s biggest cowshed is facing shortage of funds, while there is a separate department for cow welfare in the state. For this department, the state government levies stamp duty and surcharge on liquor. “No effort was made by the state government to resolve the issue,” the source said. The government should intervene and ensure that funds are released for the gaushala.