Uttarakhand Mulls Jail, Rs 10,000 Fine For Those Leaving Cows On Streets

Uttarakhand Gau Seva Commission Chairman Dr Rajendra Anthwal said loitering cattle often sustain injuries after being hit by speeding vehicles.

Rudraprayag: Uttarakhand Gau Seva Commission Chairman Dr Rajendra Anthwal vouched for harsher punishment against those abandoning bovines on the streets after fully utilising them. He proposed a jail term and a Rs 10,000 fine for it and said the commission was going to bring in new rules to stop the menace of straying cows.

Anthwal was in Rundraprayag on Monday where he inspected the Rantoli cowshed and said a policy would be considered to promote cow breeding.

He said the state government was working to improve the condition of cows. Cowsheds were being constructed at various places in Chamoli and Rudraprayag. Some deficiencies were found during his inspection of the under-construction Ratnoli cowshed. The building had been constructed, but there was no arrangement for fodder and movement of cattle. There was also a trenching ground near the cowshed, which emitted a foul smell. The district magistrate had been instructed to construct a cowshed elsewhere.

Anthwal further said some people were leaving the cattle on the roads after using them, which was not right. Many times the cattle were getting injured after being hit by vehicles. A cow was injured by a vehicle in Rantoli which is undergoing treatment.

"Those who keep cattle have been asked to tag their photos, so that action can be taken against them if they leave the cattle on the streets. If they sell the cows, then their photos will be replaced with that of the buyer," he said.

He said the fine against those who left cows on the roads was Rs 2,000 earlier. Now it would be increased to Rs 10,000 along with a provision for jail to restrain those leaving cows on the roads which was not only a sin but a crime.