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Uttar Pradesh government asks DMs to buy cattle catcher vehicles
Such vehicles need to be arranged to transport stray cattle and other big animals that meet with accidents, according to an Uttar Pradesh government order
The Uttar Pradesh government has asked district magistrates (DMs) to buy cattle catcher multi-purpose vehicles by utilising the funds available to zila panchayats and kshetra panchayats under the state finance commission.
Such vehicles need to be arranged to transport stray cattle and other big animals that meet with accidents, according to a government order (GO) issued by additional chief secretary (panchayati raj) Manoj Kumar Singh here.
The GO has quoted the U.P. Kshetra Panchayat and Zila Panchayat Act-1961 that provides for animal services, including medical ones. It also refers to the August 18, 2020 GO, which says that panchayats will spend necessary funds from the state finance commission to run and maintain cattle centres under their jurisdiction.
“Thus, purchase and operation of cattle catcher vehicles under the head related to the maintenance of cow shelters is permissible,” clarifies the GO.
Singh, in the GO, said that DMs could buy cattle catcher vehicles or hire the same as per the requirement in their district or they could even outsource the job to any other agency paying to it the cost per animal that was transported.
“Zila and kshetra panhayats may bear the expenses to be incurred on this work from the state commission funds or from their own resources,” he said.
According to a senior animal husbandry department official, catching stray cattle and then transporting them safely to the cattle protection centres was a challenge and arrangement of special vehicles for this purpose would help.
“More than three lakh stray cattle are still believed to be out and are to be protected and put in the catte centres,” he said.
