GCC catches 70 stray cattle after penalty revised to Rs 5,000
To control the nuisance caused by the cows and buffaloes within the city corporation limit, the fine was raised up to Rs 5,000 from Rs 2,000. The cattle are impounded and kept in the shelters at Pudupet and Perambur maintained by the city corporation.
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CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has caught 70 stray cattle after increasing the penalty to Rs 5,000 during the council meeting in September. The authorities mentioned that the number of stray animals roaming on the road and complaints decreased after the drive intensified in the city.
To control the nuisance caused by the cows and buffaloes within the city corporation limit, the fine was raised up to Rs 5,000 from Rs 2,000. The cattle are impounded and kept in the shelters at Pudupet and Perambur maintained by the city corporation. From the third day, the maintenance charge has increased to Rs 1,000 from Rs 200. If the cattle were caught for the second time the penalty would be Rs 10,000.
“After the revision of the stray cattle penalty at least 70 cattle were caught in the city and impounded in the shelter. The fine amount of Rs 5,000 has been imposed against the owners. Following the incident of a school student attacked by a cow, we have intensified the drive and the number of complaints raised by the public and cows roaming on the street has been reduced slightly,” said Dr J Kamal Hussain, veterinary officer, Greater Chennai Corporation.
As there is a shortage in manpower and vehicles across the city the stray cattle drive has been done at a slow pace causing inconvenience for the public, especially in the residential and market areas. People stated that the cattle owners are lethargic and they don’t keep their cows in the shelters instead roam on the streets and cause inconvenience for the public.
“There are more than 20-25 cows in one stretch of road on Kadappa Road itself. The numbers can be about 50 or more if checked. While it is dangerous for pedestrians and motorists as they sit in the middle of the road, some of them have also had minor accidents due to this menace. We have requested the Corporation authorities also but there has been no response,” said Mohan Babu, a resident of Kolathur.
From January 1 to September 16, as many as 3,568 cows have been caught in the city. The civic authorities collected a total amount of Rs 65.80 lakh fine from the cattle owners, according to GCC data.