Haryana to tag stray cattle, impose fines

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that the state government would send stray cattle to `gaushalas` and `Nandishalas` before August 15.

Chandigarh: The Haryana government on Saturday announced it has decided to tag stray cattle in the state and impose fines on people who let their cattle loose on the roads.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday directed officers of the Animal Husbandry and Dairy Department to launch a special campaign to tag stray cattle, as well as those at homes in cities and villages, to prevent people from leaving them on the roads.

"Fine would be imposed on anyone found doing so," Khattar announced in Rohtak town, 70 km from Delhi, on Saturday.

On a complaint made by residents of various villages regarding stray cattle, he said that the state government would send stray cattle to `gaushalas` and `Nandishalas` before August 15.

Haryana, which has a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government since October 2014, has seen the state government taking several steps for protection of cows.

The Khattar government imposed a ban on beef in 2015, followed by a ban on cow slaughter in the state in November 2015. From setting up of creches for cows to sterilising and rounding up stray bulls, setting up an e-portal for livestock, setting up `gaushalas`, announcing a cattle insurance scheme and even appointing a senior police officer to exclusively monitor smuggling of cows in the state - the BJP government in Haryana has done it all.

Khattar, a former Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) activist, took over as chief minister on October 26, 2014.