The drive, however, did not deter the intention of the cattle owners, who have decided not to move out of the city unless they are given residences at the Animal Hostel along with their cattle.

District Collector Vijay Nehra told Newsline: “As decided, we have started the drive of impounding the stray cattle. On the first day of the drive, we targeted the entry points to the city.”

He added: “We are going to mount the pressure on the cattle owners with a continuous drive, and at the same time, they are given the option to move their cattle out of the city as discussed earlier.”

Nehra said the Vadodara Urban Development Authority has approved the fund of Rs 40 lakh as part of the project apart from clearance of the site at Khatamba. “We have been approached by the social and religious organisations as part of the project. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness has agreed to donate Rs 20 lakh for the project,” he said.

Admitting that they have little time to make the city roads cattle-free by January 26, Nehra said “we are sure that we will achieve our target.”

The cattle owners, on the other hand, have said that unless the key issue of providing shelter to owners is not addressed, it will be difficult to move the cattle out of the city.

“The land, which the district officials are mentioning about, is not at all fit for the cattle to stay because the situation worsens during the monsoon. Further, not a single cattle owner would let his animal stay away from him and rely on a caretaker,” said Navghan Bharwad, a cattle owner and leader of the community.

The locals, meanwhile, continue to suffer due to stray cattle.

Contrary to the district administration’s claims about the intensified cattle impounding drive, the situation remained the same in the bustling station area.

Stray cattle were seen locking horns and creating panic among the commuters and pedestrians.