Cows dying of hunger, mantri in denial

DAUSA: The only state to set up a Gopalan (cow-rearing) department in the country, Rajasthan is witnessing high number of cattle deaths due to water and fodder shortage and heat wave. In the Dhaula Datta hills in the Aravallis bordering Dausa, Karauli and Sawai Madho pur districts, hundreds of cows have died in the last three-four months as the state government has failed to provide aid, locals allege. Mahesh Chaprana, a local who first highlighted cattle deaths, told TOI: “Every year, around 5,000 cows graze here in the summers. But this year, in the absence of fodder and water, the situation has become so grave that they are dying in huge numbers each day .They need medical care if they are to be kept alive.”
Locals estimate that 5-10 cows are dying in the area every day . Cattle carcasses are a common sight in the 30-km area. The state government acknowledges cattle deaths, but refuses to believe that they are because of hunger. Gopalan minister Otaram Dewasi said: “A cow can never die of hunger. It is the plastic inside its stomach that proves fatal.”
Plastics, though, is nowhere to be found in the area.
“Villagers abandon their bulls and cows on these hills during the harvest season. Our department gives aid to gaushalas but the hills are not a gaushala. Still, as soon as we received the information, all possible help was extended. If needed, we will send more aid there,” Dewasi said. Read More…