157 officers on job to curb stray cattle menace; Gujarat govt submits names in HC

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government on Friday provided a list of 157 officers to the High Court. These designated officers have been given responsibility of enforcing a new policy aimed at addressing the stray cattle menace in the state. This move came after a request from the chief secretary for exemption from contempt proceedings.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has also given name of 10 officers tasked with reducing the presence of cattle on public streets.

The bench of Justice A J Shastri and Justice H M Prachchhak were hearing the contempt plea that alleges non-compliance with court directives regarding the cattle nuisance. The bench said that the court will have a new survey conducted through the Gujarat State Legal Services Authority (GSLSA) to assess the current situation concerning stray cattle.

The court has emphasized that its future decisions will be based on the GSLSA report’s findings. During the hearing, the applicant’s lawyer pointed out that the High Court had previously ordered the AMC and the state government to submit bi-monthly action reports, which the state government has failed to provide.

The High Court also raised questions about the actions taken against wrongdoers, expressing concerns about the impact of taxpayer funds supporting this group. The next hearing on this matter is scheduled for October 25, and a decision on the chief secretary’s exemption request is expected by October 17. DeshGujarat