Hamirpur re-run in Lucknow? Cattle sitting ducks here

LUCKNOW: A day after 26 cows were run over by a speeding train on Hamirpur-Mahoba stretch, a TOI reality check in vicinity of railway tracks in Lucknow showed stray cattle were sitting ducks and a Hamirpur re-run was imminent. Or such deaths even go unreported when numbers are few and carcasses tossed afar. And here’s the shocker — at any point of time, at least 20 stray and abandoned cows can be found strolling on tracks near Mawaiya, Charbagh and Lucknow junction and many survive by a whisker when an express train zips past.

TOI also found trains decelerating with loco pilots honking incessantly to clear tracks of cattle.Speaking to TOI, a loco pilot said, “These stray squatters delay train schedules and we are always under stress.”

Late Friday, 26 cows were run over by Chitrakoot Express near Ragaul railway station at Artara-Tinduhi crossing on Hamirpur-Mahoba stretch.
A TOI recce of Charbagh at 3pm found cows lazily moving and grazing on railway tracks. Railway staff standing near the tracks said, cows often come onto the tracks from neighbouring areas to graze.
A station master at Charbagh railway station, said on condition of anonymity, there are many private cow sheds around Charbagh station and owners let their herds out in the morning. “Cows begin trooping in before noon and graze on tracks till evening. During rush evening hours, officials keep vigil on movement of tracks as most longdistance superfast and mail trains like Chitrakoot Express, Ahmedabad-Gorakhpur Express, Surat-Muzzafarpur Express, Rajdhani and Howrah Express take this route. The stray menace is a big trigger for accidents,” he said.
A loco pilot of Varanasi Express train, said, they are often forced to stop on outer of Charbagh and Lucknow junction as they encounter cows huddled on tracks .”
This is an open violation of orders of Lucknow district magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma. Recently, the DM issued an order to private cow and cow shed owners not to abandon their cows. Public relation officer of North-Eastern Railways, Lucknow division, Alok Kumar said, “We deployed cow catchers at entry points of railway stations in Lucknow and also launched campaigns against movement of cows on tracks.”
Speaking to TOI, chief veterinary officer and nodal officer, Tej Singh Yadav, said, “We are on the job 24x7 to control the cattle menace. We shifted around 1,200 abandoned cows to various sheds in the district and cow shed owners were also warned that herds would be seized.