Cattle on the Loose Unleash Chaos on Sriperumbudur Roads

Chennai: The menace of hundreds of stray cattle roaming by day and lying at nights on the major roads in Sriperumbudur is causing many accidents. The drivers are unable to notice the cattle on the road in the darkness and meet with accidents when they try to veer off.

The traffic police are spending their time driving away the cattle on the roads to prevent accidents. The vehicle users appealed to the highways department, district administration and the local bodies to take suitable action to catch and place the stray cattle in pounds, allowing the traffic police to focus on their core functions.

The Chennai-Bengaluru national highway, Sriperumbudur-Kundrathur highway, Sriperumbudur-Tambaram highway and Walajabad-Oragadam-Sriperumbudur highways are the major roads in Sriperumbudur. Hundreds of cattle are ruling these roads during day time leading to accidents or traffic congestions. During nights, they lie on the road and vehicle users can see them only when they come very close, forcing them to hit a sudden brake or veer off the road to avoid running over them, resulting in accidents.

Hundreds of cattle are being reared in the area but the owners do not keep them in sheds. The cattle are taken to sheds only for milking and they are allowed to graze anywhere. They also wanted police action.

When the vehicle users complain with the highways department, they say that it is the responsibility of the local bodies to take action. But the local body representatives say they do not have pounds to house the animals. The also complain of insufficient manpower. They are planning to warn the cattle owners of levying fines and take stringent action. The vehicle users want the concerned departments to take action on the cattle owners who allow stray cattle on the road.