Puri: Hundreds of farmers from Balapur panchayat in Puri district approached the Satyabadi police station with written complaints, seeking intervention over the growing menace of stray bulls and cattle damaging their crops.
The farmers, who assembled at the police station, said stray cattle had repeatedly entered agricultural fields and destroyed rabi crops such as black gram and green gram besides damaging standing paddy. They said the repeated crop loss was causing severe hardship after they had invested substantial time, labour and money in cultivation.
The farmers attributed the problem to the shrinking availability of common grazing spaces, bunds and other open areas in the panchayat. With little land available for grazing, they said, stray cattle were increasingly entering farmland in search of food.
Satyabadi police station IIC Saumya Ranjan Mahalik acknowledged the farmers’ concerns and said their grievances were genuine. However, he pointed out that cattle could not be subjected to legal proceedings in the same manner as human offenders.
“Although a legal case cannot be filed against bulls or cattle, we have held detailed discussions with the farmers,” Mahalik said.
The police said they would coordinate with the local administration, block authorities and the sarpanch to work out a practical solution. Possibilities include arranging temporary shelter or designated grazing areas for stray cattle to prevent them from entering cultivated fields.
Officials said efforts would be made to address the issue at the earliest and prevent further crop damage, amid growing concern among farmers over losses caused by stray animals.
