Rajkot: While most civic bodies in Gujarat grapple with the menace of stray cattle and dogs, the Bharuch municipality has found itself battling a far more unusual problem — stray donkeys.Triggered by public outrage over the death of a 27-year-old man in an accident caused by the animals, the civic body has launched what officials believe is its first dedicated ‘Donkey Drive’ to round up the animals roaming the city’s streets.In the first night of the operation alone on Wednesday, officials impounded 19 stray donkeys, with nightly drives planned through the monsoon.“We have a dedicated team to tackle the stray cattle menace, but on Wednesday night we launched a special drive to capture stray donkeys and impounded 19 of them,” a Bharuch municipality official said. “Eight donkey catchers and 10 municipal employees have been deployed for the operation. We have also sought police protection to avoid any law-and-order issues. The drive will continue every night to reduce the risk to commuters and residents.”The special operation was launched after the death of 27-year-old Chirag Parmar in the early hours of July 6. Parmar was riding home on his moped when he encountered a group of stray donkeys near a tea stall on Station Road. Police said he applied the brakes suddenly while trying to avoid the animals, lost control of his vehicle and died on the spot.The incident sparked widespread public outrage over the municipality’s failure to address the growing stray donkey menace. Videos showing several donkeys roaming the stretch where the accident occurred went viral on social media, intensifying criticism of the civic body. The anger also spilled over to the police after they registered a case against Parmar for negligent driving instead of initiating action against the owners of the stray animals.
