Chandigarh, Jan. 23 -- The absence of adequate funding and a concrete policy for running cow shelters has resulted in the poor functioning of five gaushalas in Chandigarh, which together house 1,932 bovines. Despite the city receiving Rs.12-13 crore annually as cow cess, conditions in these shelters remain unsatisfactory, with no proper records of cattle, lack of geo-tagging, missing treatment registers, absence of CCTV cameras, poor sanitation and inadequate arrangements to protect animals during winter. Unlike Haryana's Municipal (Cow-Houses) Bye-laws, 1978-which clearly lay down norms related to infrastructure, hygiene, health, ventilation, space, waste management and cleanliness-no such bye-laws have been framed by the municipal corporation in Chandigarh. At the Industrial Area Phase 1 cow shelter, which houses 577 cattle, CCTV cameras have not been installed and there are no arrangements to protect the animals from cold. The sanitation supervisor of the shelter said that despite repeated reminders to the municipal corporation to install CCTV cameras, no response has been received. The Prarthna Foundation, which runs a cow shelter with around 300 cattle on municipal corporation premises in Sector 25, said it faces persistent difficulties in maintaining cleanliness due to narrow sewage pipes that frequently get blocked. A member of the foundation said, "We are facing serious drainage issues as liquid waste gets stuck in the sewage pipes, creating unhygienic conditions for the cattle." The Sector 45 cow shelter houses around 800 bovines and is run by the Gauri Shankar Seva Dal. A member of the organisation, Vinod, said that they have been breeding Indian cows and selling their milk to sustain operations. However, this practice has led to overpopulation in the shelter and reduced space for stray cattle. Inder Sandhu, who runs an NGO for animal welfare, said, "No proper records of cattle are being maintained, as a large disparity between male and female ratios would become evident. Cows are useful for getting donations and milk, so NGOs running shelters are utilising them for these benefits while discriminating against others. None of the shelters have geo-tagged the cattle, which clearly indicates a lack of transparency in record maintenance." As per the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) guidelines, shelters must maintain individual identity records for each animal with ID numbers and details, daily inventory records, medicine and vaccine stock books, daily stock issue registers, land records, details of available area for sheltering each species, vaccination records and annual audit records. However, these records are largely missing in Chandigarh's cow shelters. The Maloya cow shelter, which houses 478 bovines, lacked detailed records of cows, bulls and calves. The incharge of the shelter said that after the death of over 50 cows at the Raipur Kalan cow shelter, instructions have now been issued to maintain comprehensive cattle records. While cow shelters require sustained funding, the municipal corporation has been repeatedly inviting expressions of interest from NGOs and societies to run these shelters either free of cost or at minimal maintenance costs. Raju Singh, who operated the Maloya cow shelter under the name Shirdi Sai Gaushala until September 2024, said he had to quit due to a fund crunch as the municipal corporation was unwilling to bear even the minimum expenses. It may be mentioned here that the land on which the NGOs are running these cow shelters is government land that has been provided free of cost for running the shelters. Karan Singh of MowgliAid Animal Welfare Society said, "In the Raipur Kalan shelter, the MC had proposed setting up a treatment centre with facilities such as blood testing, X-ray, surgical operations, OPD and IPD, but no such facility has been developed. Most of the budget for shelters and animal birth control centres is spent on salaries rather than animal welfare. While advisories exist from the Animal Welfare Board of India, enforcement is extremely poor." Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla said, "What happened in Raipur Kalan is tragic. The MC is now working on a uniform policy for gaushalas. Hopefully, the new mayor will complete the policy for gaushalas." Municipal Corporation Chandigarh commissioner Amit Kumar, on Thursday chaired a review meeting to assess the working and management of all gaushalas functioning under the municipal corporation. The meeting focused on improving infrastructure, animal welfare standards, transparency, and operational efficiency across all facilities. During the review, Kumar directed the concerned officers to immediately invite Expression of Interest (EOI) from reputed NGOs for operating the Raipur Kalan Gaushala, ensuring professional and accountable management. Key issues related to various wings were discussed in detail, including levelling of floors in cowsheds, development of proper feeding points, availability of clean drinking water, provision of electricity points along with necessary supplies and fixtures, and installation of CCTV cameras to enhance monitoring and transparency. It was decided that the executive engineer, Solid Waste Management (SWM) will act as the nodal officer for ensuring the full functionality of the incinerator plant. The officer has been directed to maintain proper records and regularly cross-check data to ensure that the number of animal death cases does not show any abnormal increase. To ensure nutritional adequacy and quality control, the commissioner ordered random sampling of fodder to verify both the quantity and quality of dry and green fodder being supplied to the gaushalas....