Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath on Friday said every municipal corporation in the state would make special arrangements to accommodate stray cows, dogs, monkeys and birds, PTI reported. The Bharatiya Janata Party leader said it was important to not release cows on to the streets.

Adityanath said the Lucknow municipal corporation had started caring for stray animals at its facilities. “Other municipal corporations across the state will slowly start doing the same,” the chief minister said while addressing a gathering in Mathura.

Cow protection is a controversial matter across the country with several vigilantes resorting to violence. In July, the Supreme Court had said incidents of cow vigilantism were unacceptable, and it was up to the states to prevent them.

“When I arrived in Mathura, I was told there was a monkey menace,” ANI quoted Adityanath as saying. “I told the people that the monkeys will not do any damage if they start chanting the Hanuman Chalisa and praying to Lord Hanuman.”

The chief minister was in the town to inaugurate development schemes worth Rs 346.74 crore. Adityanath promised to make special lighting provisions at the city’s entry points and implement the same in Ayodhya, Varanasi, Allahabad during Janmashtami festival. “We want to make Mathura, Ayodhya, Varanasi and Allahabad alluring in order to attract more pilgrims,” he said.

Adityanath said his government planned to install a solid waste management system and take measures to stop drain discharge into the Yamuna.