MC fails to construct cattle pond

Bharat Khanna

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Tribune News Service

Bathinda, February 11

The Bathinda Municipal Corporation is the first in the state to levy cow cess with an aim to check the problem of stray cattle menace. The corporation has collected Rs 18 lakh in cess in the last one year. However, it has failed to come up with a cattle pond.

As many as 16 acres have already been earmarked by the MCB to setup the cattle pond. The MCB had formed a district animal welfare society, including the ADC (General), Bathinda, as the chairman, the departments of Animal Husbandry, Health and some NGOs to look into the issue of the cattle pond. The MC had decided to pay Rs 15,000 per acre annually for the land.

However, the MC has only one vehicle to catch stray cattle and the help of safai karamcharis is being taken to catch them. Due to shortage of funds, the MC has failed to start the cattle pond. The Supreme Court had directed to construct cattle ponds in all districts to check the stray cattle menace in 2004.

Thereafter, the MCB levied cess on nine items under Section 7 of the Punjab Prohibition of Cow Slaughter Act 1955 to raise funds to take care of stray cattle.

In Bathinda, the residents have been asked to pay Rs 1,000 as cow cess on the purchase of every four-wheeler and Rs 200 on the purchase of every two-wheeler whereas Rs 1,000 is charged for holding a function in an air-conditioned marriage palace and Rs 500 for a non-AC palace.

Booze lovers shell out Rs 10 as cow cess on every bottle of the India-made foreign liquor and Rs 5 on a country-made bottle of beer.

Besides collecting Rs 50 from per house map, Rs 10 is charged on the issue of death and birth certificates.

Stray dogs

Stray dogs have also become a nuisance for the city residents. But the MC does not have enough manpower to counter the problem or start the sterilisation drive.

According to records at the Civil hospital, Bathinda, 4,153 persons have already been bitten by stray dogs. Six anti-rabies injections are given free of charge to each patient at the Civil Hospital. But for the total of 4,153 patients, only 4,178 injections were made available. The ratio of injections given to a patient stands at 1:1 instead of 1:6. Similarly, 206 people were bitten by stray dogs in January this year and 200 injections were given to patients. MD Singla, Superintendent, Municipal Corporation, Bathinda: “Soon the departments concerned will pay the cess amount but the Excise Department is not cooperating with us following which we are facing problems in the collection of the cess . The collection of cess will be in lakhs every month. Once the process started, there will be no problem of stray cattle in the city.
The cattle pond is being constructes. It will be controlled by the MC. We will provide Rs 23 per animal per day for fodder. Currently, we are paying Rs 18 per animal to a gaushala near Khalsa School. The process to counter stray dogs is yet to start but immediately after constructing the pond, we would take up the matter on priority.”

Stray cattle damage  public property
A number of accidents take place due to the presence of stray cattle. The government and the MC have done nothing to counter the problem. Stray cattle are damaging the public property.  Lakhveer Singh

Take precautions while feeding cattle
The residents too do not care and feed animal on the road or near religions places, resulting in mishaps. The number of stray dogs has also gone up. No action has been taken by the MC to check the rise in the number of stray dogs. The government should take steps to check the problem at the earliest. SL Garg

Nothing done to check the problem
There are about 3,000 stray animals in the city. The civic body has failed to construct the cattle pond. The local residents and the industry have been forced to pay cow cess without any reason. Similarly, nothing has been done to check the problem of stray dogs.”
Harminder Singh Jassi, former  MLA

Take necessary steps as soon as possible
The stray cattle problem is getting bigger day by day. NGOs should be taken into while initiating a drive against the menace. People should also be made aware about the precautions to be taken while feeding animals as they should be fed at a vacant place far from the main roads. Similarly, sterilisation of stray dogs should also be carried out.
Sonu Maheshwari,
President, Naujwan             
Welfare Society