Precarious conditions at a cow shelter in Haryana's Kurukshetra district led to the death of at least 25 cows, news agency PTI reported today.

Continuous rains and lack of food were the chief causes behind the cows' death, according to officials quoted by PTI.

The cows died over a the last few days, prompted senior officials, including Haryana Gau Sewa Commission chairman Bhani Das Mangla and a few district administration officials to visit the cow shelter in Mathana village where the deaths took place.

Kiran Bala, the Mathana village chief, told PTI that after severe rains, a number of cows got stuck in swampy land and later died. A few other cows starved to death due to the non-availability of fodder and even more have fallen sick.

The Mathana Gaushala, as it is formally known, was started by the Kurukshetra district administration and the responsibility of its operation lies with the village panchayat and the state animal husbandry department.

District Deputy Director of Animal Husbandry Dr Dharminder Singh asserted that the department takes proper care of the animals and that the cattle at the Mathana cow shelter were vaccinated by the staff of a veterinary hospital in the village.

"Some weak animals lost their lives after getting stuck in the swampy land. At least 25 to 30 cows have died over the last few days," he said.

Interestingly, Ashok Papneja, the former president of 'Shri Krishan gaushala' that provides fodder to the government cattle shelter, said the district administration had raised a boundary wall around seven-and-a-half acres of village panchayat land and "that is how it was built".

"At present, there are over 600 cows in the shelter, which lacks proper facilities. There is no fodder and drinking water available for so many cows," he claimed.

Meanwhile, operations at the cow shelter have been suspended until repair work is carried out.

Sub-Divisional Magistrate Narinder Pal Malik, who was among those who visited the shelter to take stock of the situation asked officials to shift the sick cows to a cattle shelter in Karnal.

"Other animals have been relocated to 20 other shelters running in the district...till the repair works here are completed," he said.

(With inputs from PTI)

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