India, July 5 -- Haryana faces a growing stray cattle crisis, overcrowding gaushalas and straining resources statewide.

Chandigarh:The surge in the number of stray cattle in Haryana has left most gaushalas (cow shelters) overcrowded, as the continuous influx of abandoned cows and bulls worsens the crisis. This growing challenge is now forcing authorities to explore alternative solutions to accommodate the rising cattle population and make streets cattle-free, aiming to ease the inconvenience caused to the public.

In the past five years, the number of stray cattle in Haryana has jumped from 3 lakh to around 5 lakh, even as the number of registered and non-registered gaushalas has increased from 550 to more than 750. Yet, these shelters r...