n Stray cattle are causing damage to agriculture in some of the suburban areas of Dehradun like Natthuwala. Regarding this, the residents of Natthuwala met senior veterinary officer of Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) Dr V Sati on Thursday.

The locals told him about the destruction caused by the stray cattle in their farms. According to one of the locals Sushma Badoni, "We have tried everything but nothing is done by MCD. We have called MCD, requested our councillor, and even some media persons have called the senior veterinary officer but all in vain. This is the reason we had to come here to request MCD to pick the stray cattle but I don't think we are taken seriously by the officials."

“The stray cattle have even broken the boundaries to enter the fields. They have caused damage to crops and other items worth lakhs of rupees but the authorities are doing nothing. We are farmers and our crop is our livelihood.

The veterinary officer is saying that he has to look out for every ward in the city but conditions are much worse in rural areas than in the city. In the city, the stray cattle roam around on the roads and cause traffic jams or other problems to commuters but here they are destroying our living,” said Sumati Thapliyal, one of the locals.

According to the locals, they have gathered 20 stray cattle so that it would be easier for MCD vehicle to pick them but the vehicle is reportedly not available right now, alleged the locals.

The locals said that they were told that picking up stray cattle is not the same as picking garbage from roads. They run, they attack and after picking them they need proper space and food. It is not easy to pick twenty cattle at once, they were told.

“Today we came here to request the officials but if no action is taken soon we will stage a protest in MCD with more residents of Nathuwala,” said Darbeshwari Thapliyal, a resident of Nathuwala.

It is pertinent to mention here that after the recent inauguration of Gau Sadan in Selaqui, municipal commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey had stated that there will be no stray cattle roaming on the roads of the city by January 31.