About 500 cows have died at a Rajasthan government-run cattle shelter near the state capital over the last two weeks, reportedly. Rajasthan is the first state in the country to have a separate department and minister in charge of the welfare of cow. “Where are the ‘ gau-rakshaks’ (cow protectors) now?” said Rameshwar Dudi, leader of the opposition in the Rajasthan assembly.
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The cows, termed as Mata by many, died due to hunger, malnutrition and highly unhygienic condition where they were living in Hingonia Gaushala in Jaipur considered to be the largest in the state.
Municipal officials of Jaipur had refused to release their salaries alleging that the company they were outsourced from was blacklisted. “We have already made a decision to stop the corporation from catching any more (stray) cows till it resolves the issues with Hingonia cowshed, as it has become their slaughterhouse”, Khachariyawas said.
“The BJP does politics in the name of cows but when it comes to their state of affairs, the government shows no interest”. For nearly a fortnight now, no one has drained the rain water out of their sheds.
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Meanwhile, the Rajasthan government in a statement today claimed that no death occurred due to carelessness in Hingonia Cow Rehabilitation centre. The cows are now bearing the brunt of the festering dispute between the shelter employees and the government in Jaipur. Principal Secretary of Animal Husbandry KL Meena told The Tribune that 14 veterinary doctors and 24 livestock assistants work at the shed around the clock and that there was “no lapse”. These cows were already sick, he said.
