Chennai: Penalty for cattle menace to be cut

CHENNAI: Greater Chennai Corporation has planned to reduce the penalty it collects for cattle menace by onetenth from this month as statistics show that the problem is under check. In addition to this, small political parties and organistations made a representation to GCC recently, asking it reduce the penalty amount.
Currently, GCC collects Rs 10,750 from owners of cattle which are found roaming on the streets. It has proposed to reduce this to Rs 1,550 after receiving representations from representatives of small political parties.
Under GCC’s rules, cattle herding is not allowed inside city limits as it hinders traffic flow. Officials have a provision to impound the cattle and keep it in safe houses until the owners pay the fine. GCC had hiked the fine amount from Rs 1,550 to Rs 10,750 on April 1, 2018. Due to this, the number of cattle impounded dropped considerably from 1,622 in 2017-18 to 642 in 2019-20. It further reduced to 280 in 2020-21, GCC said. Most of these cases are booked in areas such as Triplicane in central Chennai and in outer areas such as Ambattur and Alandur.
Smaller political parties and organisations such as Samajwadi party, Gokul Makkal katchi, Yadavar cow herders association, TN Yadava Mahasabha, and TN Yadava Sangam petitioned the corporation recently asking for a reduction in the penalty.
GCC officials said they also face law and order issues when staff impound cattle as the owners protest. “These are the reasons why the reduction in penalty has been proposed,” an official said. However, if cattle is impounded from now on, owners, who usually get a permission letter from local GCC health officials for its release, will have to get a similar letter from the local police as well.