Kathmandu, November 26

The Kathmandu Metropolitan City has introduced a policy to deal with the nagging problem of stray cattle menace.

Stray cattle wandering on busy roads is a common sight in the capital. Officials said combating the stray cattle menace is a priority programme of KMC.

KMC captured as many as 388 and 338 stray cattle, mostly cows, from various parts of the city and auctioned them off outside the Valley in the fiscal year 2013/14 and 2014/15 respectively.

It collected a revenue of Rs 634,000 by selling the stray animals in Kavre, Sindhupalchowk, Dhading, Makawanpur, Parsa, Bara, Rautahat and Sarlahi during the period.

According to KMC, around 1,200 cattle owners have registered their animals in the current fiscal. Traffic police officials said stray cattle are to blame for at least one per cent of road accidents.

KMC officials said such reckless acts of cattle owners have not posed a risk to road safety. Besides, green belts, traffic islands, parks and open spaces have become a grazing spot for stray animals.

Stray cattle usually obstruct the flow of traffic, rest and walk on the footpaths, creating hassles for pedestrians and motorists alike.

With a view to discouraging the cattle owners from letting their animals loose, the Kathmandu Metropolitan City has also decided to impose fines on them if they are found guilty of discarding their cattle on the city roads.