AMC Standing Committee approval to amended policy on Stray cattle menace in the city

Sabarmati: The Standing Committee of Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has approved a new policy against the stray cattle menace.

Individual Cattle owners will need to take permits for keeping cattle. The term of the permit shall be three years. The license fee will cost Rs. 500 in addition to Rs. 250 permit fee. The permit will need to be renewed one month before the end of the term. After that Rs. 100 late fee shall be effective. Each cattle owner will need to pay Rs. 200 registration fee. Panjrapol, and Gaushala which are registered under the Public Charitable Trust Act will also need to obtain a license. They shall be waived from paying license and permit fees.

For those cattle owners who bring cattle from outside the city limits, they shall require to register it within one month and complete the process of applying RFID chip and tag and take a permit and license. Each cattle in the city will need to have an RFID chip and tag. It will cost Rs. 200 per cattle for the first two months and later Rs. 1000 charge after the end of the two months limit. If RFID chips and tags are not applied to cattle after the implementation of the policy, the cattle will be seized and caged and will not be released. It will be taken out of the city. For any reason if the tag is damaged or broken, then Rs. 500 charges will be levied for re-tagging in addition to fines and charges for fodder and administrative fee.

Cattle owners who don’t have space will need to take cattle outside the city within a maximum of two months period at their own cost.

The license will be required for any person or organization to sell grass. Register and records showing the source of grass and persons to whom it was sold need to be maintained.

The fine and charges of releasing cattle have not been increased. It remains the same – Rs. 3,000 for cow, buffalo, and bullock as a fine, Rs. 500 per day fodder charge, and Rs. 500 per day administrative charge. In the case of Paada and Paadi, these three charges shall be Rs. 2,000, Rs. 300, and Rs. 300 respectively. In the case of the calf and Paada, Paadi on feeding, the charges shall be Rs. 1,000, Rs. 300 and Rs. 300 respectively.

The responsibility of stray cattle shall be completely on their owners. If any citizen suffers from stray cattle, then civil/criminal procedure can be initiated against the owner for compensation.

If cattle is caught for the first time the fine shall be as described above. If caught for the second time, the fine shall be one and a half times while on the third capture, the fine (fodder and administrative charge) shall be two times. If cattle belonging to the same owner is caught three or more times, then such cattle shall be permanently seized and not be returned and the license and permit of the cattle owner shall be canceled. After cancellation of license/permit, such cattle owner will not be able to keep cattle.

Seized and unclaimed cattle shall be taken outside the city and auctioned publically to villagers. A committee shall be formed to decide the base price for such auctions.

Needy farmers will get calf/bullock for free or on fix cost. Such land owners/agencies should be located 50 km away from the city.

Presently around 80 percent of cattle are not claimed after their capture for release by their owners. Against this, the capacity to keep them is limited. Surplus cattle are sent to Panjrapol through Mumbai Jeevdaya Mandali. In view of this, only those cattle that are not suitable for auction shall be given to Panjrapols.

AMC has plans to start an animal hostel when it gets Gauchar land, far away from the limits of the city by the State government. Such an animal hostel shall be started after assistance from the State government for capital cost and maintenance. For the operation of such a hostel, an MoU will be done with the State government.

Depending on the number of cattle in the respective zone, a new modern, smart cattle pond shall be created. Friends of Cattle scheme shall be introduced on the line of Friends of Zoo. Any person will be able to donate money for fodder at AMC’s city civic centers. The citizens shall be allowed to visit AMC’s cattle cage facility to feed grass on festivals and good occasions. The CNCD department will do a mapping of places where cattle are kept.