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Ambiguity in AMC's stray-cattle drive Sunday, August 26, 2001

TIMES NEWS NETWORK
AHMEDABAD: The 'clear city roads of stray cattle' drive taken up by the administrative wing of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation continued undeterred for the fourth consecutive day amidst declarations of "no more police complaints on cattle-owners of the city", being made by the civic body's political bosses.

For once the elaborate formalities (read red tape) may have come to the rescue of cow-harassed commoners on the city streets. Owing to the "informal nature" of directive given to the administrative wing, the municipal commissioner has declared that the drive will go on unabated.

The administrators of corporation filed 11 police complaints and herded over 100 stray cattle on Friday against negligent cattle owners, ignoring the joint statement of Mayor Himmatsinh Patel and chairman of Standing Committee Badruddin Sheikh to the contrary. The statement was allegedly preceded by a proposal to the effect at Friday's Standing Committee meeting.

Along with the usual penalty amount of Rs 250 for every stray-catch the AMC officials have filed 65 police complaints against "rogue" cattle owners till date.

An official statement issued by Sheikh said: "Appeals made by cattlemen of the city was taken up at the Standing Committee meet on Friday. We asked the commissioner not to file police complaints against the cattle owners without slackening the drive to clear city roads of stray cattle."

While the Congress leadership in AMC was busy tomtomming their successful balancing act between cattle owner and keeping masses' interest intact the commissioner of AMC, K Kailashnathan, told TNN: "The drive will continue unabated, without any changes. The Standing Committee has not tabled or passed any formal proposal in this regard and so the corporation will continue to give priority to masses' grievances."

Kailashnathan was referring to the numerous road accidents and frequent traffic disruptions that plague Ahmedabad due to stray cows. Since August 20 the administrative wing of AMC, then with the support of Congress men, has begun a crack down on cattle owners who allowed their cows to go astray.

But, soon as the matter had turned political with the Samajwadi Party and BJP blaming the Congress for harassing "poor" cattle owners the political bosses of AMC developed cold feet and did a volte-face.

On Thursday, after meeting with members of the Gopalak Samaj, the mayor had declared there would be no more police complaints associated with the corporation's cow-catching spree.

Officials of AMC disclosed: "Since there has been no formal request from Congress the drive will continue unchanged. All our moves, through the years, to levy cash fine on the cattlemen have come to a naught. With the police complaints acting as the proverbial Damocles' sword we have been able to achieve a lot in just four days of the drive. One hopes to address grievances of Amdavadis who have flooded corporation offices with their complaints on stray cattle."

News Source : Times Of India News Service [ Lightning News ]

 

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