Four months ago, the Gujarat High Court directed the state government to submit a report on the action initiated by municipal corporations to curb the menace of stray cattle. It even pulled up the Ahmedabad civic body for lack of intent in the matter.
However, accidents induced by stray cattle continue to plague the state. Yesterday, in two stray-cattle accidents in Bhavnagar, a young man lost his life, and a girl was injured. Bhavnagar is the most vulnerable city for stray-cattle incidents. In another episode, a stray animal attacked a Mehsana youth near Leela Circle.
In Jambusar, Bharuch, stray cattle chased a six-year-old girl who was on her way home. In Rajkot, two police officers and an equal number of women cops were injured in similar incidents. The women police officers were returning home after completing a parade at Mavdi headquarters.
Recently, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) issued notices to cattle rearers, asking them to keep their animals tied. Additionally, the AMC instructed animal owners to affix RFID (Radio-frequency identification) tags to animals. The AMC directed that animals caught without RFID tags will not be released. According to the proposed laws, animal owners also face one-year imprisonment in case of violations.
Yet, despite the provisions, rampant stray cattle attacks continue to endanger lives in the state.
