Bill to enable seizure of stray cattle to be effective soon

Kolkata: New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) is making all arrangements to put into effect the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2018, which empowers the chairman of NKDA to pass orders of seizing cattle that stray in public premises in New Town.

NKDA chairman Debashis Sen will hold a meeting on April 25, to work out the modalities of making the amendment of the Bill effective as early as possible. The notification for the amendment has already been released by the state Urban Development and Municipal Affairs department.

The list of animals that can be seized under the order of the NKDA chairman includes any cattle, horse, pig, dog or similar animal or bird, if found straying.

It may be mentioned that in order to keep the seized animals with care, a cattle shed and a pet creche have recently been constructed in New Town. The cattle shed has facilities for feeding the animals, a small administrative office and an open ground for the cattle to graze.

The area, spread over 3 acres, is located in Action Area 1D and steps are being taken to frame draft rules regarding fees and procedure to be followed, in confining the animals and releasing them subsequently.

"After framing of the rules, it will be notified in the official gazette. Meanwhile, a veterinary doctor and assisting staff are also to be selected and appointed, for which an advisory committee has already been formed," a senior NKDA official said.

A pet creche, treatment centre and burial ground has also just been completed by Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO) and the property handed over to NKDA for commissioning and operations.

Spread over a 25 cottah area, there are 10 creches for pet dogs, a small walking lawn, a veterinary doctor's chamber and at the rear end, pits for 30 burials. "A committee within NKDA is proposing draft rules for fees, staff, doctor and other procedures for this," the official added.

The amendment was passed in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly in March 2018, with the state government concerned over the problem of bovines straying on the New Town expressway, resulting in traffic accidents.

The Biswa Bangla Sarani has witnessed a handful of accidents in recent times, leading to injury to both cattle and people. The worst accident occurred on October 26, 2017, when six-year-old Deepshika Chakraborty, her father Pravat and his colleague Goutam were killed, after the motorbike they were travelling on skidded off the road, trying to avoid cows near the Akankha crossing.