Following the complaints of cow shelters in the State becoming overcrowded, Haryana Government on Tuesday decided to ask gram panchayats to take gaucharan land (grazing land) on lease and utilise it for the purpose of cattle protection and conservation in the State.
About 71,000 acres of land is available for the purpose of gaucharan in the State, out of which cultivation is being done on one-third of the land.
Facing flak from the opposition over the death of more than 20 cattle in a Government run cow shelter (gaushala) at Kurukshetra recently, Chief Miniser Manohar lal on Tuesday convened a review meeting here and issued a series of directions to ensure that cow shelters are run properly in the State.
The State Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare Minister, OP Dhankar, while talking to mediapersons after meeting said that with a view to providing shelter to stray cattle, Haryana Government has taken a decision to ask panchayats to take gaucharan land on lease.
One-time assistance of Rs5,000 per cow will be provided for building infrastructure to such organiSations as adopt at least 100 stray cattle, he said.
The Minister informed that about 71,000 acres of land is available for the purpose of gaucharan in the state. Now panchayats would be able to lease out one-third of the land as Shamlat deh land. But when this land is required for cattle, it would have to be vacated immediately even if the crop is standing on it, said he.
He also informed that 25 yards of land per cattle would be given on lease for making provision of shelter and 100 yards per cattle would be given for providing fodder. Apart from this, Gau-Seva Ayog will also help gaushalas separately, he added.
Notably, protesting against leasing-out of the Gau Charan lands in Haryana villages to private persons, a cow activist Sant Gopal Das has been sitting on a hunger strike for more than a month in Rohtak. He had also demanded the Government to set up a Gauchar Vikas Board on the pattern of the Gujarat Government.
Haryana Congress had also joined Sant Gopal Das to take out a procession recently to press for protection of cows in the State.
When asked about population of stray cattle in Haryana, Dhankar said that according to the animal census of 2012, there were about 1.17 lakh stray cattle in the State. Apart from this, nearly one lakh animals are kept in more than 400 gaushalas. Tagging of every cattle head is being done, said he.
Keeping in view the challenges faced in Gausamwardhan and Gausanrakshan, it has been decided to ensure management of stray cattle at places where they are found. Now, if any person leaves his cattle at a gaushala, he has to deposit Rs5,100 with the local Government, otherwise a fine would be imposed, the Minister added.
On the ongoing drive to make the State stray-cattle free, Dhankar said that Yamunanagar, Fatehabad and Mewat districts had become free of stray cattle.
“The State Government has decided to make the entire State stray cattle-free and work is being done in this direction. The model of Fatehabad district, which is the best, will be adopted in the other districts”, he added.
Haryana Government has announced to make the State stray cattle-free by August 15. Following its campaign to achieve the target, the cow shelters in the State have either filled to capacity or become overcrowded. There are more than three lakh cattle in around 437 gaushalas in the State. last month, rains had reportedly led to water-logging at Kurukshetra’s Mathana village cow shelter turning it into death traps for more than 20 cattle who had died due to starvation after being stuck in the swampy land.
Raising the issue of death of cattle at Kurukshetra, leader of opposition and INlD’s senior leader Abhay Chautala had also written to Chief Minister, criticising the latter for his Government’s failure to ensure cow protection.