Gaushala with 300 Cows in Telangana’s Ranga Reddy district in Dire Straits Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
HYDERABAD: A cow shed near Reliance Green village at Proddutur of Moinabad, Ranga Reddy district is facing a severe crisis as funds for the maintenance of cows have dried up amidst the ongoing pandemic. Caretakers are struggling to provide fodder and medicines to around 300 cows in the gaushala as the owner of the private cow shed is not able to afford its maintenance.
“The cow shelter has been running for the last two years. Since then, around 30 caretakers and a doctor have been taking care of many newborns and abandoned cows. However, soon after the pandemic started, the owner of the cowshed stopped giving funds for its maintenance and salary of the caretakers. For the last 20 days, the owner has not come to the shed and we have no knowledge of his whereabouts,” said Dr. Ramdev, a veterinarian at the gaushala.
“We are waiting for some help for the fodder, medicines and our salaries. Otherwise, we will be forced to leave for our villages and abandon the cows on the road,” added Ramdev.
He added that in the last month, most of the caretakers, who are natives of Madhya Pradesh have left for their hometowns as they were not getting any salaries. “Now there are only six of us, who are left to take care of 300 cows without their fodder and medicines. People keep saying that cows are their mother and one should take care of them. But when it actually comes to that, no one steps up to take care of them,” added another caretaker from the shed.
According to the Sarpanch of the village, Shankar Nayak, the landowner of the gaushala is forcing the caretakers to vacate the place.
Recently, after a video about the gaushala’s plight went viral, some funds were arranged by the Chilkur Balaji temple for fodder. The temple priest, S Rangarajan, has requested other people to come forward and support the cows.
Read: UP Govt Clears Ordinance Against Cow Slaughter
Source: The article is extracted from The New Indian Express, June 10, 2020.