Gujarat to reconsider Bill that seeks to regulate stray animals in cities

State BJP president meets CM to apprise him of cattle owners’ woes

Barely a few days after a Bill was passed in the State Assembly to control the stray cattle in the cities in Gujarat, protests by the cattle owners in the State prompted the ruling party to announce that the government would reconsider the Bill. 

In the recent Assembly session, a Bill was passed by the State seeking to regulate stray cattle in urban areas. 

The Bill was passed by a majority in the Assembly after a marathon debate in the house. Titled Gujarat Cattle Control (Keeping and Moving) in Urban Areas Bill, 2022, it is aimed at regulating stray cattle in Gujarat’s eight major cities – Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Gandhinagar, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar and Junagadh – which have municipal corporations, and 162 towns which have municipalities and are notified as urban areas.

However, on Monday, cattle owners or the cattle rearer community launched protests in the urban areas against the new law. 

The Gujarat Cattle Control (Keeping and Moving) In Urban Areas Bill, requires cattle rearers to obtain a licence to keep such animals in cities and towns, failing which they may face imprisonment.

“After receiving representation from the Maldhari, the cattle-rearer community, against the Bill, I met Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Monday morning and requested him to reconsider it,” Gujarat BJP president C.R. Paatil said.

“The existing rules to control cattle menace in municipal corporation areas are sufficient, and if the community is ready to follow them properly, there is no need for a new law. I find their demand justified, and have told them the State government will certainly reconsider it,” Mr. Paatil added after a group of community leaders met him on Monday.