Civic body seeks cow cess from depts to deal with stray cattle menace

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 21

The Municipal Corporation (MC) has received Rs 6.41 lakh from the transport department that it collected as cow cess. It would make it easier for the MC to take better care of the stray cow problem in the city.

The MC has also asked the other departments who have been collecting cow cess, to transfer the same to it at the earliest so that it could be put to use and the problem of stray cattle on roads could be checked.

As per the government notification, cow cess is being charged for booking marriage palaces, purchase of liquor, power, cement, new vehicles, petrol and diesel within the the municipal limits besides alongside rents for shops of the MC, building application fund and births and deaths certificates.

In 2016, the Local Bodies Department had proposed to levy cow cess at the rate of Rs 1,000 on the purchase of a four-wheeler, Rs 500 for a two-wheeler, Rs 100 for an oil tanker, 2 paisa per unit of electricity consumption, Rs 1,000 on booking an AC hall of a marriage palace, Rs 500 on booking a non-AC hall and Rs 1 per cement bag.

Most of the departments have failed to transfer the funds to the MC. Civic body officials said a meeting with officials of several departments had been conducted wherein they were asked to deposit the funds at the earliest.

MC’s Health Officer Dr Raju Chowan said, “We will get around Rs 25 lakh every month through the cow cess. The money will be solely used for expenses on stray cows. We are also planning to tie up with cow shelter managements who will be paid to house the stray cows roaming on streets.”