Campbell Bay | August 9, 2026
Cattle couching has turn into a typical sight on the roads of Campbell Bay, notably in and across the headquarters space, the place tons of of cattle might be discovered occupying public roads on any given day.
The cattle routinely lie on the roads, transfer round freely and create inconvenience for motorists. While site visitors in Great Nicobar could also be comparatively skinny, residents and automobile customers are sometimes left with little alternative however to fastidiously manoeuvre across the animals. Some cattle don’t even transfer regardless of repeated and forceful honking.
What has now turn into a routine nuisance on Campbell Bay’s roads has additionally reportedly been the topic of quite a few verbal complaints from members of the general public. Yet, regardless of repeated complaints, no significant and lasting resolution seems to have been put in place by the authorities involved.
Interestingly, the state of affairs seems to obtain consideration when VIPs or senior officers go to Campbell Bay. During such visits, efforts are made to make sure that cattle don’t enter the headquarters space or come into the view of visiting dignitaries. At different instances, nonetheless, the identical cattle are left to roam, battle, sofa and feed freely on public roads with little obvious obstruction.
The situation additionally raises a elementary query of accountability. These will not be merely stray animals with no identifiable homeowners. Most of the cattle are owned animals, saved for the financial advantage of their homeowners, whereas being allowed to roam freely and fend for themselves on public roads.
A correct mechanism must be established to establish cattle homeowners and maintain them accountable when their animals are discovered occupying roads or making a public nuisance. Untagged cattle must be tagged for straightforward identification, and homeowners ought to face substantial fines when their animals are repeatedly discovered roaming or couching on public roads.
It shouldn’t be as if the issue has by no means been raised. The failure lies within the absence of a significant and sustained enforcement mechanism. There seems to be little willingness to take agency motion towards cattle homeowners, probably as a result of these in energy don’t wish to displease even a single voter.
But political comfort can not come at the price of public security.
The authorities and elected representatives can not stay content material with permitting cattle to occupy public roads day after day whereas motorists are pressured to barter round them. If measures might be taken to maintain these animals away from the headquarters space when VIPs arrive, the identical degree of consideration must be potential for extraordinary residents all year long.
It is excessive time that the Gram Panchayats of Campbell Bay and Govind Nagar put a correct system in place to establish cattle homeowners, push for tagging of unmarked animals and impose heavy penalties on those that permit their cattle to roam and sofa on public roads.
The common public, too, wants to begin questioning its elected representatives and demanding accountability for a nuisance that has been allowed to proceed for years.
Public roads can’t be allowed to turn into resting grounds for privately owned cattle. The authorities must act—and they should act with out worry or favour.
