MP govt to appoint volunteers with honorarium to shift stray cattle to shelters

The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to appoint more than 2,000 volunteers, each receiving an honorarium ranging from ₹5,000 to ₹10,000, to relocate stray cattle to shelters, officials said.

The district panchayat and urban development department can take decisions on honorarium based on the number of stray cattle to be dealt with.

The decision was taken by a five-member committee led by additional chief secretary (home), formed on August 21 to run a 15-day campaign to control stray cattle.

A senior IAS officer, who is a part of the committee, said, “The stray cattle mainly sit on roads during rainy season which create trouble for commuters. All the village panchayats which are located near highways will appoint volunteers to control the stray cattle. They will shift the cattle to shelters and will also construct make-shift shelters .”

The districts administration has also been asked to purchase hydraulic cattle lifting trolley worth ₹6 lakh each to shift the cattle to safe places from roads. The order in this regard was issued on Friday.

Panchayat and rural development department additional chief secretary Malay Shrivastava said, “The districts will take decision on its own to deal with the menace. They can appoint volunteers according to their needs. Similarly, they can decide their honorarium accordingly.”

Earlier, the animal husbandry department allocated ₹5 lakh each from the District Animal Patient Welfare Committee Fund to prevent cows from roaming on the roads. Cow patrolling will be done on highways through special vehicles which will be equipped with GPS tracking systems.