Shift stray cattle from city to cow sheds, Jalandhar DC tells officials

Taking steps for the welfare of abandoned cattle and the safety of human lives, Deputy Commissioner Dr Himanshu Aggarwal today directed officials to ensure shifting of abandoned animals to gaushalas by August 31.

Presiding over a meeting of the District Animal Welfare Committee and the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) at the District Administrative Complex today, the Deputy Commissioner (DC) emphasised on shifting cattle in a mission mode. He said the objective of this step was to ensure the safety of public and property along with proper care of abandoned cattle.

On the occasion, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Urban Development) Jasbir Singh and SDM Adampur Vivek Kumar Modi with additional charge of Additional Deputy Commissioner (Rural Development) were also present.

To effectively tackle the problem of stray cattle, the DC directed officials to take concrete steps, including increasing capacity of gaushalas, enhancing the workforce, and making owners aware not to abandon their animals.

He also stressed on involving cattle and dairy owners in the SPCA. He instructed officials of the Animal Husbandry Department to make cattle and dairy owners aware so that instead of abandoning animals that had stopped giving milk, they send them to gaushalas for proper care.

For the proper care of injured and sick cattle, the DC announced the district administration’s helpline number 9646222555. He said people can contact on this number to give information about any injured or abandoned cattle.

He said upon receiving information, teams of the administration would make appropriate arrangements for the treatment and care of the sick or injured cattle.

During the meeting, detailed discussions were held on increasing the capacity of the Kania Kalan gaushala. The DC asked the Shahkot SDM to send a proposal by July 31, so that further action regarding this could be taken. The progress of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme in the district and the collection of cow cess were also reviewed during the meeting.

Animal Husbandry Assistant Director Dr Balbir Singh, Dr Kulvinder Singh, along with officials from the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation and various other departments, were present at the meeting.