State cattle-free by Aug 15? Impossible

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 10

The campaign to make Haryana stray-cattle-free by August 15 has been a non-starter so far.

And it is not because of paucity of funds with the Animal Husbandry and Dairying Department, but because the Gau Sewa Ayog has not received funds this year for distribution among “gaushalas” so that additional set-ups can be created to accommodate stray cattle

On May 23, a meeting of the Gau Sewa Ayog had decided to constitute committees in all districts of the state to make Haryana cattle-free by August 15 and to monitor the situation later.

The committees headed by Additional Deputy Commissioners were constituted. Its other members are District Development and Panchayat Officer, Secretary of Municipal Councils, Deputy Directors of the Animal Husbandry and Dairying Department, district in-charge of the Gau Sewa Ayog, Deputy Superintendents of Police, SDMs and District Revenue Officers.

It was decided that the committees will hire cattle-catching vans and staff to pick stray cattle and put them in the nearest “gaushalas”.

The expenditure for lifting of cows was to be borne by local units of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SCPA). The Gau Sewa Ayog that has an annual budget of Rs 30 crore was to provide selected “guashalas” with funds.

Sources, however, said the Gau Sewa Ayog has so far not received funds for the first quarter of the year, though the second quarter is already half over.

Sunil Gulati, Additional Chief Secretary, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, denied paucity of funds and cited a technical reason due to which money could not be given to the ayog. “The matter has been pending before the Finance Department for removing capping on funds,” he said.

“If funds of a particular quarter are transferred during another quarter, the online transfer system refuses to complete the process unless capping is removed by the Finance Department,” he said.

The ACS said that as soon as the capping was removed, funds would be transferred and the work would start. He, though, admitted that the target of making Haryana cattle-free by Independence Day couldn’t be achieved.