Mohali, August 23, 2025 — The Mohali Municipal Corporation (MC) has decided that stray cattle, once captured, will no longer be released to their owners, a measure aimed at curbing a growing menace that has claimed multiple road users’ lives.
Until now, stray animals were released after the payment of a ₹5,000 fine. The new measure, proposed by MC Commissioner Parminder Pal Singh Sandhu, received unanimous approval in the House meeting. Mayor Amarjit Singh Sidhu called the decision “harsh but necessary,” noting that repeated discussions in previous sessions had failed to bring results.
“Despite existing bylaws, controlling stray cattle has remained a challenge,” Sidhu said. Official records indicate Mohali has nearly 3,400 stray animals, but since the allotment of a new tender last year, only 300 have been captured. The previous ₹5,000 fine often backfired, with some cattle owners reportedly attacking MC teams to avoid penalties. Many of the animals come from unregistered dairies or are abandoned once unproductive, with owners letting them loose to save on fodder costs. Officials hope stricter enforcement will deter such practices.
Garbage crisis sparks protests
The House session also witnessed protests over the city’s solid waste management issues. Councillors from Phase-11 and Phase-5 raised slogans, accusing the civic body of failing to provide a permanent solution.
Mohali, home to 2.3 lakh residents, generates around 150 tonnes of waste daily but lacks a functioning processing system. Two plants, at Shahimajra (40 TPD) and Jagatpura (80 TPD), remain non-functional despite sheds and machinery already installed. A heated exchange occurred between Deputy Mayor Kuljit Singh Bedi and former Deputy Mayor Manjeet Singh Sethi.
Bedi claimed the garbage issue could have been resolved 18 months ago, while Sethi retorted that Bedi was in power then and demanded his resignation. “If the House asks, I have no issue in resigning, but my priority is the welfare of the city,” Bedi said. Mohali’s performance in the latest Swachh Survekshan results, announced July 17, reflected the crisis: the city fell to 128th place among 903 cities with populations between 50,000–3 lakh, down from 82nd last year.
The House approved the construction of a boundary wall on a 13-acre plot near Chapparchiri for a proposed new garbage processing plant featuring modern technology.
Mechanical sweeping proposal rejected
A proposal to introduce mechanical sweeping on ‘C’ roads (internal roads) was rejected. Deputy Mayor Bedi opposed the move, claiming it was pushed under pressure from the Punjab government to “benefit close associates.”
Bedi argued that mechanical cleaning had already failed on ‘A’ and ‘B’ roads and that extending it to narrow internal lanes, where vehicles are parked outside homes, would be impractical. Mohali has 303.44 km of ‘C’ roads, amounting to nearly 607 km of sweeping work, which officials admit is difficult to manage mechanically.
