Cow cess: MC to tighten noose on traders

Gurdeep Singh Mann 

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 17

While the Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB) is gearing up to further tighten the noose around business enterprises to raise its revenue of cow cess, relatives of the victims of stray cattle menace, however, plan to launch a massive stir.

“I escaped a fatal blow on my son’s birthday when a bull hit me twice. Probably, some good deeds done in the past came between and I survived,” said Ramesh Mehta, president of a local NGO, Aasra 

Welfare Society.

Interestingly, the society had recently pasted reflectors on the horns of stray bulls to make the animals visible during night hours.

Of the 24 deaths reported in the last two and half years, Shiv Charan Das, a resident of Nai Basti, succumbed to his injuries last week after he was mauled by a stray bull.

Relatives of the victims of such attacks said they are chalking out the modalities to launch a massive protest in this regard.

Chief coordinator of BANGO (Bathinda NGOs), Ramneek Walia, said a ban should be imposed on offering green fodder to the stray animals on city roads.

The relatives of the deceased people alleged that the religious sentiments associated with 

the Indian (Holy) cow is not only causing numerous deaths but also many road accidents.

“Most of the stray animals involved in hitting people are American bulls who are in no way associated with holiness,” said Balwinder Singh, a resident of Mati Das Nagar and relative of stray cattle attack victim.

Despite becoming the first district in Punjab 

to collect cow cess 

and generating Rs 60 

lakh revenue in last one year, nothing has been done in Bathinda to 

eradicate stray cattle menace, he said.

Officials of the corporation said in view of “meagre” collection—of Rs 60 lakh—now, the government is further trying to its tighten noose around those institutions and business houses which fail to pay the cess.

Though there is no census conducted by any of the government agencies to count the exact number of stray animals, as per a sketchy detail there are over 3,000 animals roaming in the city.

As per another similar detail, over 15 per cent of these animals are aggressive in nature and have inflicted or killed one person or the other. Twenty four deaths have been reported in the last three years in Bathinda only. Again, there is no consolidated data over the deaths or injuries inflicted by the animals.

The Commissioner of the corporation, Dalwinderjit Singh, stated that a meeting “to bring solution” to the stray cattle menace is in the pipeline. The Commissioner, however, would hold a meeting tomorrow with District Transport Officer (DTO), XEN (Powercom), District Food and Supplies Controller (DFSC) and the Assistant Commissioner of the Excise and Taxation Department.

The officials of these departments would now be held responsible for the collection of cow cess of the business ventures falling under their respective departments. For instance, the DTO will collect cow cess from transporters, Assistant Excise Commissioner from cement sellers and the DFSC from oil companies. A notification has been issued by the government in this regard two days ago.

“Though the cess is collected comfortably from the sale of per car –Rs 1,000 and motrobike—Rs 200 at various showrooms. The showroom owners had either been depositing it to the corporation office every month or in the bank,” said a senior corporation official.

But the same is not paid by the hotels, restaurants, marriage palaces, cement sellers, liquor vends and the Powercom, which is suppose to pay 2 paise per unit sale.

Till the last month, an amount of Rs 57 lakh was raised from the cow cess in Bathinda and this month, it reached to Rs 14 lakh. As per officials, the money is collected for the diet of the animals.

“The money that we collect under the cess, is used for diet of the animals shifted to the gaushalas by the corporation,” said another official.