Around ten years ago, the high court had ordered to shift the milk dairies to city outskirts. An owner having more than two cows will be considered running a dairy. According to an estimate, over 50 such dairies are functioning in the city.

The dairy owners were also given plots outside the city, but when they found that moving out of the city was not economically viable, most of them returned.

Anita Gurjar (name changed), a dairy owner, said, “It is convenient for us to run our business from the city. We are within reach of the people and it is convenient for the cattle owners as well. People in the city give fodder to the cows as charity. Moreover, not everyone was allotted land during that time.”

Many drives were initiated by the JMC officials to remove these cattle owners from the city. However, there have been many allegations that the officials themselves were in connivance with the dairy owners. “JMC officials are hand in gloves with the dairy owners and for some monetary benefit they let go off the dairy owners. That is the reason that despite cows being kept right on the streets by many dairy owners, especially in the Walled City, JMC officials ignore them,” said a JMC official who wished not to be named.

Mayor Somya Gurjar, who took action on the functioning of illegal dairies in Katewa Nagar, also raised questions on the functioning of the JMC officials. White strips were found tied in the legs of the cows in Katewa Nagar. According to a JMC Greater official, these white strips were an identification that these cows belong to a particular owner looking at which JMC animal husbandry workers would not seize them.