Chandigarh: Former MLA (Amritsar East) and Former Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Punjab, Dr. Navjot Kaur Sidhu has raised serious concerns over the growing menace of stray animals on roads across Punjab, calling it a major issue of public safety, governance, and animal welfare.
Dr. Sidhu said that Punjab today stands at a critical crossroads where governance, compassion, and public safety must go hand in hand. She emphasized that the problem of stray cattle is no longer limited to animal welfare alone, but has emerged as a grave threat to human lives, farmers’ livelihoods, and urban safety.
She pointed out that large portions of government land originally earmarked for cattle welfare and gaushalas have been encroached upon over time. This, she said, has directly contributed to the alarming increase in stray cattle on highways and city roads, leading to frequent road accidents, loss of precious lives, and immense suffering for both humans and animals.
Highlighting the need for immediate and systematic action, Dr. Sidhu stressed on reclaiming public land meant for animal welfare, implementing scientific registration and tagging of stray cattle, and ensuring transparent accounting of cow cess collections along with their proper utilisation. She also called for strengthening gaushalas and animal shelters across the state and fixing accountability for those who abandon animals on public roads.
“Punjab has always believed in inclusive welfare, where compassion is not selective and governance is preventive rather than reactive,” Dr. Sidhu said. She added that any serious government must protect both its citizens and voiceless beings through proper planning, strict enforcement, and empathy, rather than symbolic measures.
Dr. Sidhu further appealed to public representatives, civil society, and religious organisations to work collectively to make Punjab’s roads safer, ensure protection for animals, and guarantee that public resources are used strictly for their intended purpose.
Concluding her statement, she said that Punjab deserves governance that listens, acts, and delivers—rooted firmly in humanity, responsibility, and constitutional values.
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