The Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) has invited expressions of interest from gaushalas and panjrapoles to take care of the impounded cattle against payment of a one-time maintenance fee. This move was necessitated due to the number of bovines increasing in its cattle pond thanks to an intensification of cattle impounding drive in the past three months. The RMC made an open appeal on January 20 for a one-time maintenance of Rs 1,500 for per cow or female calf and Rs 2,500 per bull or male calf to those panjrapoles and gaushalas who agree to take care of impounded cattle for the remainder of their lives. Civic officers said that on normal days, there would be an average 700 cattle heads in cattle ponds of the RMC, but this has gone up to 2,000 as the animal nuisance control department (ANCD) has intensified the drive of impounding stray cattle. “We have had instructions to tackle the menace of stray cattle on city roads by intensifying cattle impounding drives. In the last three months, we have impounded around 2,900 cattle heads. On an average, 10 percent of impounded cattle heads are subsequently claimed by their owners and are released from our cattle ponds,” Bhavesh Jakasaniya, veterinary officer who is heading ANCD of the RMC, said. “We are sending on average 20 t0 25 cattle heads to gaushalas and panjrapoles daily but we need to increase the rate of rehabilitation of the impounded cattle hence our appeal to gaushalas and panjrapoles,” he added. RMC had taken a number of initiatives in 2014-15 to rid the city of the problem of cattle straying on roads. The civic body had set up four animal hostels with a cumulative capacity to accommodate 2,000 cattle heads. It had even tagged cattle and had made it mandatory to get one’s cattle registered. As the civic body impounded an increasing number of cattle, it had to transport them as far away as Surat in south Gujarat and Palanpur in north Gujarat as gaushalas and panjrapoles in Saurashtra had expressed their inability to accept them. “The scenario is slightly different these days as panjrapoles are accepting cattle, though in small numbers, as these animals have a maintenance cost and panjrapoles and gaushalas need to resources to take care of them,” Jakasaniya further said, adding the four animal hostels run by the RMC has only around 1,100 cattle heads as of now. The veterinary officer said that cattle head transportation goes up to Rs 4,000 per head if they are required to be transported to south Gujarat or north Gujarat. Jakasaniya said that so far, no gaushala or panjrapoles has come forward with consent letters to accept impounded cattle. “But the window to submit such letters will remain open till February 3 and we are hopeful there will be some response by that time,” added the veterinary officer. Rajkot mayor Pradip Dav said the RMC is committed to rid the city of the menace of stray cattle on city roads. Dav told the Indian Express that, “Stray cattle cause road accidents. Places they are kept in become nuisance points from a cleanliness point of view and can lead to disease. As much as 98 percent of the residents of the city want cattle off limits. Therefore, we shall keep impounding stray cattle aggressively.” “We shall also make laws more strict and tag every cattle and fix ownership. At the same time, animal hostels will be open to cattle-herders,” Dav added. The mayor further said that “The one-time maintenance of Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,500 per cattle head may not be sufficient for gaushalas and panjrapoles and we are thinking of increasing it.” The maintenance slabs of Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,500 respectively have not been revised since 2015, said officers.
