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The stray cattle challenge: Crores spent on mega shelters, it’s still work in progress for U.P.

Oct 03, 2024 10:52 AM IST

The cattle shelters are built on one-acre each with four sheds, a room for a caretaker, office, feed storage godown and a dispensary, among other facilities

In the last five years, 321 mega cattle shelters have been built in Uttar Pradesh as part of a plan to construct a total of 503 such centres at a total cost of 800 crore or an average of 1.60 crore per unit, according to figures available with officials.

The UP government began building cattle centres in 2019 after the makeshift ones started overflowing in a bid to ensure a safer and more comfortable stay for cattle abandoned by farmers. (For Representation)
The UP government began building cattle centres in 2019 after the makeshift ones started overflowing in a bid to ensure a safer and more comfortable stay for cattle abandoned by farmers. (For Representation)

The government began building these centres in 2019 after the makeshift ones started overflowing in a bid to ensure a safer and more comfortable stay for cattle abandoned by farmers. The requirement of more such centres is being felt every year despite conserving over 14 lakh stray cattle so far since 2018.

According to a press statement issued by the chief secretary office here on Friday (September 27), of the 503 large-scale cattle shelters planned for the state, 321 have been completed, with each such centre having the capacity of housing up to 400 stray cattle.

While supporters of the initiative argue that it addresses a pressing animal welfare issue, critics point out the substantial financial implications. “Despite spending so much of money in the name of cow protection, the stray cattle menace continues to exist to harass farmers,” Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Purvanchal president Anuk Chaudhary said.

“The solution to the problem lies in providing meat markets to farmers, rather than building expensive cow protection centres,” he added. Director, animal husbandry, PN Singh said the government was committed to taking care of abandoned cattle and funds, he said, were not a constraint.

“The stray cattle problem continues to exist because we catch some and farmers abandon more when their cattle cases to be useful for them,” he argued. Since 2017, when strict enforcement of the anti-cow slaughter law came into force, the abandonment of unproductive cattle by farmers and their conservation by authorities have become the norm in Uttar Pradesh.

The cattle shelters are built on one-acre each with four sheds, a room for a caretaker, office, feed storage godown and a dispensary, among other facilities. Construction of each such centre entails an expenditure of 1,60,12,000 (more than 1.60 crore).

“The current construction costs 1,60,12,000 per large-scale cow protection centre. Prior to 2023, it was 1.20 crore per centre,” additional director, animal husbandry, (cow), JN Pandey said. On September 26, the government issued a government order sanctioning an amount of 15.20 crore for the construction of 19 new such centres in the state, with each centre getting 80 lakh as the initial instalment.

Of the 19 new centres, two are in Hardoi district, one in Kushinagar, three in Hapur, two in Mirzapur, one in Pilibhit, three in Ayodhya, one in Barabanki, four in Agra, and one each in Banda and Shahjahanpur.

“In the current financial year alone, the state government has allocated a budget of 140 crore to build 60 new large-scale cow protection centres in the state and fund some old ones, said Pandey. “Forty-five of 60 centres are complete,” he added.

He stated that more than 14 lakh stray cattle were living in around 7,000 make-shift cow protection centres.The make-shift centres, according to him, will continue to coexist along with the large-scale permanent ones, considering the huge requirement.

“It may be pointed out that 800 crore is being spent on building large-scale cow protection centres alone,” said a retired animal husbandry department official requesting anonymity.

While reviewing the protection of stray cattle and the construction of cattle shelters in a meeting with the officials, including commissioners and district magistrate here on Friday (September 27), chief secretary Manoj Kumar Singh mentioned that there were sufficient cattle shelters available in the districts. “Both urban and rural areas should be inspected again, and 100% of stray cattle should be housed in shelters. All shelters must have adequate arrangements for fodder, green feed, and water,” he told officials, underscoring cattle protection as the government’s priority.

He also directed the revenue department to prepare a village-wise list of grazing lands and instructed them to launch a campaign to free the grazing lands from encroachment after the rains.

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