Observing that the court cannot wait till the government finalised a policy for taking care of cattle during drought, the Karnataka High Court on Monday issued directions to the State government to set up cattle camps in all the 65 taluks facing drought at present and to supply specific quantity of fodder and cattle feed to the shelters.
Finding the quality of fodder fixed by the State insufficient, the court directed the government to supply 6 kg of dry fodder, 18 kg of green fodder and 1 kg of feed concentrate daily for every large cattle in the shelters.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice H.T. Narendra Prasad issued the directions after noticing that the incentive given by the State was not drought-specific and was restricted only to milch cattle.
The Bench fixed the quantity of fodder and feed concentrate based on data submitted by the State on schemes existing in neighbouring States, particularly in Maharashtra, which had established 1,600 camps in 156 drought-affected taluks. The Karnataka government had established only 28 cattle camps despite the court’s May 3 direction to establish one in every drought-hit taluk.
Observing that the government had not set up camps in 156 taluks affected due to drought as per court’s May 3, 2019, order, the Bench asked the government to furnish an explanation. While directing setting up of cattle camps in 65 taluks as the government said drought was now restricted to 65 taluks owing to deficient rainfall, the Bench gave two weeks to set up the camps and submit a list of the drought-hit taluks. The Bench also directed that sufficient fodder should be made available in all fodder banks and farmers should not be made to wait.