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 Cows ought to be eating green grass, but all too often one sees them scavenging in dust bins and chewing up pieces of paper, among other things. Paper might not cause great harm, but recently, in
Bhuj, Gujarat, a vet, operating on a cow, found, incredibly, about 4000 plastic bags, a metal screw, a wire mesh, a
'gutkha pan' pouch and hair in its stomach. If this is the diet that cows get, one dreads to think what kind of contamination is present in their milk, which we give even to infants.
In a city like Chennai, this problem is compounded because there is no pasturage nearby for cows. Several states, particularly Gujarat and Rajasthan, suffer from a lack of fodder and grass for livestock, causing many bovine deaths. One way of tackling the problem of
cattle eating inedible stuff in urban areas is to keep edible domestic waste -- vegetable, fruit, and unused food -- in a separate container in each home for cows. In a block of flats or apartment building, a common container could be used to collect edible waste. Or alternatively, the waste could be collected from each house and transferred to the container.
 These are not new ideas, but it is interesting to read of places where such experiments have succeeded. They can serve as examples and catalysts to other communities. Here is one such instance: In an apartment block in Gujarat, a stone trough about one metre by 60 cm by 30 cm, with a small pipe at the bottom to drain off water, was installed. Despite its 100 kg weight, it was movable. The total cost was just Rs.1500, most of it coming from residents' contributions. The collected waste was distributed as fodder. The scheme has been functioning satisfactorily for the last two months, according to Mr Girish Shah, animal rights activist.
 The cooperative movement is very strong in that state (witness the success of Operation Flood for milk). Extending the fodder scheme through the movement to other states should not be difficult because of its very simplicity. Anyone interested in more details can write to:
Kumarpal V. Shah,
39,Kalikund Society,
Kalikund Char Rasta, At Post-Dholka,
Ahmedabad District
Gujarat, Pin: 387810
or
Surendra Singh Pokharna,
3/11, Aashray Apartments,
Ahmedabad - 380015.
Phone: 079-6753285
Ambujam Anantharaman
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