Holy cow! Khar, Bandra locals face bovine woes……..SUKHADA TATKE
MUMBAI: It’s no longer honking cars or zooming motorcycles or even pub- crawlers that are destroying the peace in the Queen of the Suburbs. “Holy cows’’ seem to have emerged as the new “nuisance’’ in the posh neighbourhoods of Khar and Bandra, where the residents could “no longer deal with the menace’’ and knocked on the doors of the local police on Friday.
According to residents they have been facing the problem for a few months; it is only after several complaints with the BMC and the cattle pound inspector of the area went unheeded that they decided to go to the police.
“The cows block the roads as well as footpaths. It is impossible to walk or even manoeuvre our vehicles with the animals squatting on the road or simply standing there,’’ said Anandini Thakoor, chairperson of H-West Ward Citizens’ Association. “Areas between Santa Cruz and Bandra are the worst affected. The cows come out in herds and obstruct the roads, and the situation gets worse in the evenings rush hours.”
In fact, they become more troublesome for senior citizens, who, to avoid vehciles on the road take the pavements, only to be greeted by the bovine residents or their dung. A resident said, “My 91-year-old aunt slipped on the dung. Where can someone as old as her walk without fear?’’
According to residents, all these cows belong to a framemaker from Khar, and no amount of complaints has ever paid off. “Every time we complained to the local civic officials, we were told that he was protected by a senior NCP leader,’’ said Ajit Wagh, retired ACP and a resident of Khar. “Under Section 133 of the criminal procedure code, the ACP has the power to initiate chapter proceedings against the man. If the problem continues, we can get an FIR registered against him, and we will get rid of the nuisance.’’
While a BMC official said he would “look into the matter’’, Sagar Salunkhe, ACP of Santa Cruz, said he had asked senior inspectors of all the stations to keep a lookout. “If they find any problem, the list will be submitted to the civic body with a letter to take action against the owner of the cows.’’