SHIMLA: The
BJP government in
Himachal Pradesh has set the deadline of one year to tackle the stray cattle menace. Rural development, panchayati raj and animal husbandry minister
Virender Kanwar said that in one year stray cattle would either be rehabilitated at farms or sent to shelters.
Taking into consideration the stray cattle, which number over 32,000 across Himachal Pradesh, the Himachal Pradesh high court in July last year had directed the state's chief secretary to ensure release of sufficient funds for the construction of gausadans. The court had said that paucity of funds should not come in the way of construction of gausadans/shelters throughout the state.
Toughening its stand on the problem, the high court had in 2014 made it clear that abandoning of animals by owners, including cows and buffaloes, would also amount to cruelty. It had directed that all cattle found within the limits of Shimla municipal corporation and panchayats should have a tag number indicative of the owner to whom it belongs. The previous Congress government under the Panchayat Puruskar Pashudhan Yojna had proposed Rs 7.80 crore in the budget for making panchayats free of stray cattle, but for this support of people was required, it added.
To tackle stray cattle menace,
Kanwar has asked the officials to prepare a detailed plan. He said that officials would ensure the exact count of stray cattle in the state, requirement of shelters for their rehabilitation and budget required for their construction. He said that after going through the report, a final decision would be taken.
Earlier in March, the then chief minister,
Virbhadra Singh, had said that to counter the problem the state government needed the support of everyone. The state government has already constituted Gauvansh Samvardhan Board to take care of the stray and abandoned cattle. He had also expressed displeasure over the fact that despite ample budget, there were very few people who had come forward to supplement the cause.
Representative image
