Stray cattle caught for third time to be handed over to NGO, warns civic body

CHENNAI: Following many incidents of residents being attacked by cattle, the Greater Chennai Corporation has decided to hand over the stray cattle, caught for the third time, to an NGO.

“Though we’­ve intensified the cattle-catching drive across the city for the last 6 months, we’re tired of the hide-and-seek behaviour by the owners who tie up the animals only when they see the Corporation vehicle. We still manage to catch them roaming on the streets,” J Kamal Hussain, GCC’s veterinary officer, told DT Next.

After a resolution was passed in the council meeting in September 2023, the civic body increased the penalty for owners from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 if the animal was caught for the second time. It’s noteworthy that only 5 animals have been caught twice in the city, and owners have to pay the fine amount of Rs 10,000.

“To bring the cattle menace under control, we’ve decided to hand them over to an NGO if it’s caught for the third time. We’ve already tied up with the Blue Cross for various programmes including mass vaccination and sterilisation of stray dogs,” he added.

Since the owners don’t have enough space in the city to keep their cows, the civic body has identified places to keep them. However, Corporation officials pointed out that the two shelters in Pudupet and Perambur can impound 80 cattle, and that additional shelters were unnecessary.

In January, the GCC caught at least 190 stray cattle and collected over Rs 9.50 lakh penalty from the owners. But residents are not satisfied with the cattle-catching drive and lamented over the pointless of the drive.

“There is no point impounding the cattle for a day or two, and letting them free again. Besides, the drive has not been intensified by the local body. We see the cattle roaming on the road all the time. It’s a safety hazard for everyone, especially children. Even the owners are lethargic despite paying fines,” said Sujatha Gnanasekar, a resident of KK Nagar.