MARGAO: Believe it or not, there are around 200 stray cattle roaming around in Sirlim-Dramapur village. In Cuncolim, villagers complain that stray cattle that roam at night on the roads and pose a threat to motorists.
“The cattle cry all night and disturb our sleep”, said a woman who lives near Pairaband.
The stray cattle problem was discussed at the Guirdolim gram sabha on Sunday. The villagers complained that they roam on the narrow roads in the village and block traffic.
“They roam all day but they go to the owner to give him milk”, said a villager.
Many villages in Salcete including Margao town have no mechanism in place to curb the stray cattle menace. Most villages haven’t done so due to lack of land. Many villages lack land for garbage segregation, therefore, identifying land for a cattle pound has taken a back seat.
Few villages such as Camurlim which do have a cattle pound are either poorly managed or they are unaware of government schemes. More importantly, they do not have vehicles to impound the stray cattle.
Dr Vilas Naik, Assistant Director (CD) of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services (AHVS) informed that there are schemes available for the panchayats and municipalities.
“Managing stray cattle is a mandate of local bodies and we provide them with the scheme for it. As mandated in their Act the panchayat has to take care of the cattle. We give panchayat grants but they have to first apply for the scheme and for that they need to have a MoU with an animal welfare organisation.”
He informed that Quepem, Betul, Bicholim and Valpoi have successfully implemented the scheme. He also stated that once the cattle are impounded and brought under the scheme, the scheme provides for inserting a microchip in the cattle to track them.
“Since the microchips are not available in the market, the department helps them in procuring the same”, he said.
Dr Naik said panchayats can impound cattle and impose a fine of Rs 3,000-5,000 on the owner. If the cattle are not claimed in 15 days, the panchayat can apply for funds under the scheme.
He invited the village development committees to meet their local veterinary officer for assistance in planning and implementing their scheme as a part of their village development plan.
With regards to livestock census, Dr Naik said due to technical reasons at the Centre, there has been a delay in the census which was scheduled to commence on August 20 and added that it will start soon.
