The Times of India             22.08.2013

Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation looks to outsource work of catching cattle

BHUBANESWAR: The death of an elderly man in an accident caused by an unruly bull on Tuesday appears to have prompted the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) to consider outsourcing the work of catching stray cattle in the capital.

Following the accident at Badagada, residents complained that the the BMC has "completely failed" to catch hold of stray cows and bulls, which cause serious problems to the people of the city.

"We are planning to engage a private agency to catch the abandoned cows and bulls. Since our cow catchers are not skilled, we will hire the service of a private agency," BMC commissioner Sanjib Kumar Mishra told TOI.

"We will construct a sprawling kine house to keep the captured cattle. Details would be chalked out shortly," Mishra said.

The population of stray dogs and cattle in Bhubaneswar stands at around 22,000 and 9,000 respectively. Pedestrians and motorists have been complaining of the danger, especially at nights.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik too gnawed at the growling stray dogs during an interaction with the media in the state secretariat. The dogs kept on barking outside the secretariat, distracting Naveen's attention. An irritated Naveen immediately instructed the home secretary to resolve the menace.

Locals alleged that the BMC is catching cattle only on the VIP routes. "We hardly see any cattle on the routes connecting Naveen Niwas and Governor House. But the situation is intolerable on the other roads," said Bijay Mishra, a resident of Nayapalli.

The city has only one kine house in Unit III, accommodating 30 cattle, and one vehicle to pick up the stray cattle. In a month, BMC captures only around 65 stray cattle. There was a proposal to construct a new kine house on nearly two-acre land in Chandaka area, but it is still a non-starter.

Apprehending that the bovine menace in city might aggravate in monsoon, the BMC recently moved the housing and urban development department, seeking immediate approval of the plan of enhancing penal charges levied by the corporation to release stray cattle.

"Recently the corporation council passed a resolution to increase the fine from Rs 100 to Rs 500. The proposal is awaiting approval from the H & UD department," Mishra said. "The cattle management becomes a challenge in monsoon as people let free their cows on roads in large scale. People would think twice before releasing their animals on roads if the hiked fine amount is levied immediately," he said.

Taking a cue from Surat Municipal Corporation, the BMC decided to increase the fine amount from Rs 100 to Rs 500. Surat Municipal Corporation collected a revenue of nearly Rs 35 lakh towards fines in 2011-12 through its kine houses, sources said. BMC earned nearly Rs 1.5 lakh from its kine house in 2012, sources said.