Agra, Dec 27 (IANS): Union minister of state for fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying, Sanjeev Balyan, has announced the setting up of the 'biggest' state-of the-art cow shelter in Uttar Pradesh.

The proposed cow sanctuary will come up along the banks of the Solani River in Chandan village of Muzaffarnagar district.

The minister said, "Spanning across 800 bigha of land at an estimated budget of Rs 70 crore, the shelter will have a capacity to house more than 5,000 stray bovines."

Balyan said, "The cow sanctuary should be completed in the next six months, and no stray cattle will be seen on the streets or farms of Muzaffarnagar. A steering committee will be formed at the district level for the project."

He further said that the 'gaushala' complex will have a modern cremation ground for animals, a biogas plant, a large water tank and a storehouse to collect fodder.

The pilot project will be prepared by the animal husbandry department and subsequently handed over to the district administration, which has already identified a sprawling area in the Purkazi region for the proposed sanctuary.

The minister said, "This sanctuary will solve some of the issues related to stray cattle. The project will come up soon."

The minister's announcement came days after a farmer was gored to death by a stray bull in Muzaffarnagar district which led to a huge furore in the region.