Citizen Connect: Triplicane residents on their toes as cattle charge at pedestrians

There have been several complaints about the cattle menace in Triplicane. Residents said that little has changed. 

If you are a resident of Triplicane, an everyday tryst with cattle is inevitable. From charging at pedestrians while they try to cross the road to brushing past vehicles, cattle roam around the streets of Triplicane with ease, even as residents remain on the lookout for them. 

Deepak Raghuraman, a resident, said, “The cattle menace seems to be a never-ending trouble for the people here in Triplicane, especially in the Gangai Kondan Mandapam (Gangana Mandapam) Market area. They can be seen ambling down the streets, via the market area and en route Parthasarathy temple, where the vehicle traffic and the public footfall are high. They create trouble for both the vendors and public.” 

From falls to accidents resulting in death, residents and commuters have borne the brunt of cattle menace several times, added residents. “We have complained a number of times, but there has been no permanent solution,” said Sampath Kumar, committee member, Srinivas Young Men’s Association  (SYMA). SYMA had filed a complaint in 2016 seeking interference by the then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalaithaa and the Greater Chennai Corporation. 

Sampath added, “To be fair, the councillor also had a meeting with the cattle owners. There were separate facilities created for them. It was all well for three months and after that, it went back to square one.” The residents said that the menace is especially severe in Singarachari Street, apart from the market, along with East Tank Square Street and North Tank Square Street. Sampath said, “Unless the cattle owners change their mindset, this will be the situation. 

In fact, even the circle inspector had met up with them and tried to convince them to change their ways. But the prospect of their cattle getting free feed at the market, where there is vegetable waste available readily, has made them continue with the practice of letting them roam free.” 

A source from the Corporation Zone 9 said that they have deployed cattle catchers and vehicles to impound the stray cattle at busy spots. The source added that they have increased the penalty — from Rs 1,500 to Rs 10,000 — being slapped on the cattle owners. 

“These cattle owners don’t care for the cattle after their job is done. We recently impounded two or three animals. After the increase in the fine, they have been ensuring the cattle don’t stray. The animals cannot be controlled, as they run in fright hearing vehicular horns or when they get shooed away by the public. We keep holding meetings with the cattle owners to change their attitude towards their  own animals.”