Judge orders sacred cows off New Delhi streets

A court has ordered municipal authorities to remove stray cows roaming the streets of New Delhi within a week, a news report said today.

Indian commuters often share roads with cows, bulls, dogs and even elephants in cities, towns and villages. The stray cows not only disrupt the flow of traffic, but also add to the city’s garbage problem by rummaging through dustbins, looking for food.

Yesterday, two judges of the New Delhi High Court ordered local authorities to end the menace in the Indian capital within a week as a non-governmental agency, Common Cause, suggested that the task be handed to private agencies, The Asian Age newspaper reported.

The court also fined some local officials for failing to file affidavits in an incident in which two women were killed by a stray bull in the Indian capital this year, the newspaper said.

Courts have been playing a key role in improving the quality of life in the Indian capital with a population of more than 14 million.

The Supreme Court made use of compressed natural gas mandatory for public transport vehicles in the Indian capital after authorities failed to ban smoke-emitting taxis, trucks and buses using diesel as fuel.