Get stray cows, pocket Rs 2,000!

Get stray cows, pocket Rs 2,000!
The Times of India,Bangalore

Hubli-Dharwad Corpn Emulates Delhi To Make Roads Cattle-free

Hubli: Want to make a fast buck with minimum fuss? Here is a lawful offer: catch that stray cattle and take it to Pinjrapole to pocket a whopping Rs 2,000. Hurry! The offer lasts only till the 300-odd cattle exhaust on roads.
This new scheme, launched by the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) on the lines of Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) to deal with stray cattle menace, is already showing success. HDMC commissioner P. Manivannan said the cash award given to the public for catching stray cattle would be recovered by auctioning the cattle.
Taking a strict view of freely roaming cattle in the twin cities, he said the district administration has issued directives to the launch the campaign to make the city roads cattle-free.
However, some officials are wary of this offer as they feel the scheme may lead to chaos as it happened in Delhi last month. An HDMC officer said some miscreants might bring in stray cattle from neighbouring villages to claim the reward.However, Manivannan allayed such fears saying there were 300-odd stray cattle in the twin cities and that Pinjrapole has enough space to accommodate all of them.
The HDMC has decided to lay down that anyone who catches an animal must have a certificate from Pinjrapole, specifying the exact place of capture. The civic chief said the person bringing in cattle should be a resident of Hubli-Dharwad and must carry a proof of residence.
Welcoming the new scheme, Megharaj of Pinjrapole said they have no problem in accommodating the stray cattle provided the animals are brought in a proper manner.
He said HDMC staff had earlier treated the stray animals in a rough manner by dragging and hitting them brutally with staves to get them onto HDMC vehicles. “I hope that the new scheme will put an end to all such menace,” he added.