Cuttack: Worried over mysterious death of at least 21 buffaloes and four cows in the past three days, a group of villagers from Gotiroutpatna met collector Nirmal Chandra Mishra here Wednesday and submitted a memorandum seeking relief.
The distressed milk farmers urged Mishra to provide adequate compensation to them for the loss they suffered due to the death of their livestock. “We are maintaining our families by selling milk. We have suffered huge losses due to the death of the livestock,” the villagers lamented.
“The buffaloes and cows have died due to an unknown disease that has spread from rotten meat being dumped near the village. Many dogs have also become mad after eating the rotten meat,” alleged former corporator Pradip Behera and Gotiroutpatna sarpanch Laxmipriya Swain.
“The villagers said police had recently seized illegal buffalo meat that was being transported in a truck on National Highway 5 August 14 night. “The seized meat was buried in a field near our village where our livestock graze. We suspect that our animals are getting affected due to the effect of the rotten meat,” the villagers said.
Mishra, however, dismissed the claims of the villagers. “I have asked Sub-Collector Sukanta Kumar Pradhan to send a team to collect soil and grass samples from the affected area,” he added.
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