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Oulgaret Municipality identifying land for cattle yard

Wednesday, 12 August 2009 03:18 administrator
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The Hindu - Puduchery 12.08.2009

Oulgaret Municipality identifying land for cattle yard

Priti Narayan

Photo: T. Singaravelou

Soon to go: Stray cattle menace in areas within Oulgaret Municipality may end shortly. —

PUDUCHERRY: Oulgaret Municipality is in the process of identifying land to set up a yard to house stray cattle. This is an effort to reduce traffic chaos caused by the animals on busy roads.

An official of the municipality said that a resolution to provide shelter for stray cattle was adopted at a municipal council meeting held three months ago.

“We have now floated tenders to identify land for the purpose,” the official said.

Buffaloes are often found resting near pools of stagnated water. Stray cows roam in large numbers on arterial roads, causing accidents and traffic chaos. Many of these animals also end up getting hurt in these accidents.

Stray cows also harm themselves by consuming plastics from public dustbins.

Municipal officials said that negligent owners allow their cattle to roam about freely on the roads after grazing, especially in the evenings.

All these cattle, which create public nuisance, would be picked up and housed in the cattle yard. The owners would be penalised, before the animals are returned to them, they said.

However, stray dogs continue to roam about the streets without shelter. The number of stray dogs on the roads is unclear. Municipal officials said that stray dogs and pigs, are caught by municipality workers and specialised dogcatchers from Tamil Nadu. They are released on the roads again, after being sterilised. Officials said that although they are obliged to provide shelter, food and care for stray animals, they do not have the facilities to do so. Elimination of these animals is also illegal, they said.

“The least we can do is to sterilise them, and ensure that they do not multiply,” they said.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 12 August 2009 03:20
 

MCD adds to chaos

Wednesday, 12 August 2009 03:08 administrator
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The Hindu - Delhi 12.08.2009

MCD adds to chaos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Photo: Shanker Chakravarty

Not in the right place: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi toll tax booth in the middle of the road near the red light crossing of Anand Vihar-Maharajpur border is resulting in daily traffic jams and chaos.
Last Updated on Wednesday, 12 August 2009 03:11
 

Local body polls hang in the balance

Wednesday, 12 August 2009 02:58 administrator
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The Hindu - Kerala 12.08.2009

Local body polls hang in the balance

N.J. Nair

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The indecision of the government in amending the Panchayati Raj Act and the Kerala Municipality Act is likely to upset the restructuring of local self-government institutions and delimitation of wards.

These are time-consuming processes and the commission has to complete a series of procedures before January 1, 2010, well before the next elections due in September that year. The newly elected committees have to assume office in October.

Official sources told The Hindu here that but for deciding to go ahead with the delimitation, the government had not yet issued any guidelines to restructure the 999 grama panchayats, 152 block panchayats, 14 district panchayats, 53 municipalities and five corporations.

The Delimitation Commission had recommended in 2005 that the civic bodies need be restructured only after the next census from 2010.

After completing the census by 2012, the government could take up the reorganisation before the elections in 2015.

Proposals

Various associations and individuals have submitted proposals for bifurcating certain panchayats and upgrading some as municipalities and municipalities as corporations.

The commission can take up such proposals only on the basis of the guidelines issued by the government.

A proposal to have four standing committees in all civic bodies itself calls for a thorough reorganisation of the existing system.

The number of wards will have to increased and that will make a reorganisation imperative.

The commission will have to take up the restructuring of panchayats, municipalities and corporations simultaneously. Even if the government issues the guidelines this month, the commission will be able to start functioning full swing only by mid-September.

The LSGI secretaries in each district will have to prepare a rough sketch and forward it to a district-level officer deputed by the government for scrutiny. The officer will publish the draft proposals after the scrutiny. After eliciting public opinion, the municipal and panchayat directors will formally submit the revised proposals to the government.

The voters list prepared for the previous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections is likely to be used for the civic polls. But the State Election Commission will have to make changes on the list on the basis of the new wards, publish the draft and conduct public hearings before finalising the list.

Any delay in amending the Acts will disrupt the delimitation and election schedule, sources said.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 12 August 2009 03:01
 
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