Bid to make Mumbai cattle-free: BMC to issue notices to owners of 263 cattle sheds asking them to relocate

According to a senior civic official, the state government, which is eyeing to rehabilitate the sheds (tabelas) to Palghar’s Dapchari, has written to the BMC seeking aid in the removal of the cattle sheds, except for those in Aarey colony.

The civic body then conducted a survey of cattle stables, and identified 263 sheds housing 9,959 cattle against whom it is slated to initiate action.

Of these, only 59 are licensed. The remaining 204 sheds, which are unlicensed, presently house 6,352 cattle, as per the civic body data.

The BMC had stopped issuing licenses to cattle sheds in the city following a notification by the state government in July 2006 directing the agencies concerned to move cattle sheds out of the urban areas.

Officials said that the tabelas in Aarey colony will not be served notices under the drive.

As per the policy decision in 2006, the state had envisaged a plan to relocate Mumbai’s cattle sheds to Palghar’s Dapchari.

However, the decision was met with fierce opposition from the stable owners who refused to relocate owing to the distance, lack of connectivity among concerns.

“To counter the decision, the Bombay Milk Association approached the high court opposing the move. When the HC passed an interim order in favour of the relocation, the association went to the Supreme Court which also disposed of the plea,” a BMC official told The Indian Express.

A senior senior civic official said that most of the cattle stables are situated on collector land and the state government has been facing difficulties in removing them.

“We are in the process of finalising the draft wherein we are going to ask the cattle stables to remove the sheds as per the SC order that the urban areas should remain cattle free. The notice will ask the cattle shed owners to form the association as per the SC order and start shifting to the alternate land allocated to them in Dapchari. If they fail to relocate in the stipulated time, action will be initiated against them,” added the official.

Civic data showed that the maximum number of these sheds — which will be issued notices — are situated in P/East ward which have 34 stables housing 1,635 cattle.

Meanwhile, the highest number of authorised cattle sheds are located in P/South (Goregaon) which have 32 licensed tabelas, followed by seven licensed sheds in the L ward (Kurla).

With the tabelas suppling milk to Mumbai, they were issued licenses in the past through the civic health department.