Def Col to install cattle-traps

NEW DELHI: Defence Colony residents have had enough of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi''s (MCD) reassurances. Peeved by the civic agency''s failure to contain the cattle menace in their area, the local residents'' welfare association (RWA) has now decided to install cattle-traps at all the six entrances of the colony.
The cattle-traps are basically iron pipes that revolve when stepped on, preventing the animal from getting a foothold."It is a humane way of preventing the cattle from entering the colony," said Defence Colony RWA president Lt-Gen B Joginder Singh (retd).
A telecom major has stepped in to help the colony manage the problem and funds are not a problem, clearance from MCD, however, is. The agency has already taken 10 months for processing the RWA''s request for installing the traps and is yet to clear it. "Since the MCD can''t do its work effectively, we decided to improve things ourselves. Instead of supporting a citizens'' initiative, all the MCD could do was create unnecessary hurdles. The agency needs to wake up," said Singh.
The residents say that despite the MCD''s much publicised foray into the neighbouring Kotla village last month, the situation on the ground has not changed much. "I run into big herds of stray cattle every morning when I am out for a walk. So far, no untoward incident has taken place, but can MCD vouch for our safety?" asked Geeta Bhargava, Defence Colony RWA joint secretary.
Residents feel that the stray cattle are systematically driven into the colony every night, in spite of the colony employing three guards for the specific job of chasing away stray cattle. "They are simply left to fend for themselves at night. The owners come and collect whenever it is time to milk the animals. Large herds collect at the main market dhalao and the Defence Colony drain where they are left to graze," said Neeta Anand, another resident.ncidentally, the MCD plans to beautify the area around the drain and create a walkway for morning walkers.