Bhubaneswar, September 15: Hundreds of farmers from Balapur panchayat in Puri district gheraoed the Satyabadi police station and submitted written complaints over the growing menace of stray bulls and cattle damaging crops.
The farmers said stray cattle were repeatedly entering agricultural fields and destroying rabi crops such as black gram and green gram, besides damaging standing paddy. They said the crop losses had caused serious financial hardship after spending heavily on cultivation.
They attributed the problem to the shrinking availability of common grazing land and open spaces, forcing cattle into farmland in search of food.
Satyabadi police station IIC acknowledged the farmers’ concerns and said their grievances were genuine. However, he noted that legal cases could not be filed against cattle.
Police said they would coordinate with the local administration, block authorities and the sarpanch to explore solutions, including temporary shelters and designated grazing areas to keep stray cattle away from farmlands.
