MLAs want govt to rein in stray cattle

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 21

The issue of stray cattle once again echoed in the Vidhan Sabha. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Aman Arora raised the matter during Call Attention on Thursday. He advocated slaughtering of bulls of foreign breeds, saying that no religious sentiments are attached with this category of cattle.

Arora reasoned by saying that genetically, biologically and religiously, both desi and foreign cattle breeds were completely different.

He said stray cattle were creating havoc on roads, besides destroying crop of farmers. “Due to the menace, the rate of road accidents has risen significantly. Of the total deaths on roads every year, 150 are attributable to the presence of stray cattle. Besides, they are to be blamed for damaging crops worth Rs 200 crore annually,” he claimed.

Lok Insaaf Party leader Simarjit Bains laid emphasis that the responsibility of those gaushalas, which were getting aid from the government, should be fixed area-wise. He also raised the issue of land mafia which had illegally occupied thousands of acres of land that served as grazing grounds. Bains also blamed the SAD-BJP’s 10-year-tenure during which large tracts of land were captured by the mafia.

Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu admitted to illegal occupation of land with the mafia. He said if the land was vacated it could help check the stray cattle menace in a big way.

While replying to the debate Animal Husbandry Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said the onus of controlling the population of stray cattle lies with the Local Bodies Department in urban areas and the Rural Development Department in rural parts.

Panel for 3-fold increase in relief 

• The Vidhan Sabha Committee on Estimates has recommended three-time increase in compensation given to the families of those killed in road accidents due to stray cattle.
• In the report tabled in the House, it was pointed out that since the compensation of Rs 1 lakh per victim was inadequate, it should be increased to Rs 3 lakh per victim.