Cows dying of hunger, mantri in denial

DAUSA: The only state to set up a Gopalan (cow-rearing) department in the country, Rajasthan is witnessing high number of cattle deaths due to water and fodder shortage and heat wave. In the Dhaula Datta hills in the Aravallis bordering Dausa, Karauli and Sawai Madho pur districts, hundreds of cows have died in the last three-four months as the state government has failed to provide aid, locals allege.Mahesh Chaprana, a local who first highlighted cattle deaths, told TOI: “Every year, around 5,000 cows graze here in the summers. But this year, in the absence of fodder and water, the situation has become so grave that they are dying in huge numbers each day .They need medical care if they are to be kept alive.“
Locals estimate that 5-10 cows are dying in the area every day . Cattle carcasses are a common sight in the 30-km area. The state government acknowledges cattle deaths, but refuses to believe that they are because of hunger. Gopalan minister Otaram Dewasi said: “A cow can never die of hunger. It is the plastic inside its stomach that proves fatal.“
Plastics, though, is nowhere to be found in the area.
“Villagers abandon their bulls and cows on these hills during the harvest season. Our department gives aid to gaushalas but the hills are not a gaushala. Still, as soon as we received the information, all possible help was extended. If needed, we will send more aid there,“ Dewasi said.
Locals say with water bodies and pasture land, the hills have served as a grazing ground for cattle for several decades. However, scanty rainfall in past two years has dried up all the water bodies.
Facing severe criticism, the state government announced an assistance of Rs 1.3 cr last month. Later, the aid was reduced to Rs 60 lakh. However, even this amount is yet to be spent, claim locals.
Attacking the Vasundhara Raje government, Rajasthan PCC chief Sachin Pilot said: “The way thousands of cows have been left to die there has exposed the duplic ity of BJP . They do politics over cow but now it is clear that their love is restricted to elections... the Gopalan department is just for namesake; it has no budget, no staff, but a minister to roam around in red-beacon car.“