Madurai Corporation intensifies action against cattle owners for letting animals roam free

The Madurai Corporation has intensified action against cattle owners by lodging complaints with the police for letting their milch animals roam the city roads.

The Madurai Corporation has intensified action against cattle owners by lodging complaints with the police for reprotedly letting their milch animals roam the city roads.

Following complaints from the public, the Corporation councillors had raised the issue in the previous council meeting, and Mayor Indrani Pon Vasanth, assuring action, had said that cattle owners must ensure that their animals remain in their custody.

Despite the warning, the civic authorities spotted as many as 12 animals occupying the roads, and they were impounded and handed over to a cattle shelter in the city. Commissioner C. Dinesh Kumar warned that once impounded, the animals would not be returned to their owners.

On December 17, near a vegetable market in zone 4, an animal reportedly hit an elderly woman, after which the civic authorities impounded it. On December 22, another animal was impounded for roaming near a market in the city. The animals have been handed over to a cattle shelter for upkeep.

The Sanitary Inspector of the Corporation Allaudeen said the cattle not only ate substandard items, but also hit pedestrians at random, causing injuries.

Another official said the cattle would not be returned to their respective owners, and that fines would slapped on them for violating laws.

Animal Welfare Board of India activists in Madurai have welcomed the action, stating that the animals often consumed waste dumped in garbage bins, spoiling their health.