Citing LSD, Gujarat government cancels cattle fairs, races at Tarnetar Fair

The event where young tribal men and women once used to seek partners in marriage is scheduled to begin from August 30 and will continue till September 2.

“We have LSD cases in the district and we are targeting to finish the 100 per cent vaccination of cattle by August 15. But as of now we have decided against holding the cattle fair and races,” Sampat added.

As part of the Tarnetar fair, the state government has been organising a cattle fair where cattle rearers are encouraged to display the best cattle breeds, including Gir cows, Jafrabadi buffaloes, Banni buffaloes, Kathiawadi horses, among others. The cattle fair, which has been held since 2008, also organises competition among cattle rearers and the best cattle on display is rewarded.

The Tarnetar fair is held on the grounds of Triniteshwar Mahadev temple and is the focal point of the festival where local communities, including Kolis, Rabaris, Bharwads, Kanbis, Kathis, Charans, participate.

“In 2019, over 400 cattle had come to the fair to be sold,” the district collector said. Surendranagar is one of the 20 districts affected by LSD and it shares borders with Kutch district, which is one of the worst affected by the virus.

Over 1,600 cattle deaths have been recorded by the state government which is trying to vaccinate cattle against LSD. Over 58,500 cattle have already been infected by the virus, which has spread to 2,200 villages in the state.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Raghavji Patel, minister for agriculture, animal husbandry and cow-breeding, said the LSD virus originated in Africa and came to India via Pakistan and its spread in Saurashtra region coincides with persistent rainfall. The minister stated that more than 10.06 lakh animals have been vaccinated in the affected districts.

In Kutch, which is the “epicentre” of LSD, 37,840 cattle have been affected by the virus. Here, the administration has set up 26 isolation centres in 10 talukas of the district to isolate the affected cattle. The district administration is vaccinating around 20,000 cattle daily so that remaining 3.30 lakh cattle are covered, the statement added.