Stray animal issue our civilisation's 'gift' can't use forest land to solve it Himachal minister

Dharamshala (HP), Nov 28 (PTI) The issue of stray animals in Himachal Pradesh is a gift of our civilisation and culture, Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar said on Friday, while refusing to open the state’s forest land for its resolution.
    He was responding to BJP MLA Sukhram Chaudhary during the Private Member's Working Day in Vidhan Sabha, as he said the "entire society" is responsible for the problem.
    Chaudhary put forth a demand for cow shelters on forest land in all of the 68 assembly constituencies in the state, with the permission of the forest department.
    He said a large number of farmers have abandoned farming due to the problem of stray animals.
    However, he withdrew his private resolution after the minister’s response.
    Kumar told the House that the government does not have the means to keep all the stray animals in the state, and the "only solution" for the problem is awareness.
    He asserted that the government cannot open forests to stray animals to solve the problem.
    He appealed to all MLAs to launch awareness campaigns in their constituencies so that people can raise animals at home.
    According to the minister, the animal husbandry department has been directed to convene meetings in 10 to 12 panchayats, where doctors will discuss the issue of stray animals with people to determine the vaccination failure rate.
    At present, cow shelters in the state have a capacity for 21,360 animals, but opening more of such refuges is not a solution to the issue, he said, also rejecting the idea of a large number of private-sector shelters.
    "People often open them to earn money," Kumar said.
    The government has empowered panchayat heads to issue challans to those who abandon stray animals, but it doesn’t happen due to vote-driven politics, the minister said.
    The state currently has 260 cow shelters in both the government and private sectors, and over Rs 74 crore is spent on them each year, he said.
    He also told the House that the government collects Rs 40 crore annually from liquor cess for these cow shelters.
    Calling the government’s effort "inadequate", MLA Kishori Lal said it needs to formulate a policy to take strict action against abandoning animals.
    MLA Janak Raj suggested putting radium collars around the necks of stray animals to prevent road accidents caused by them, while MLA Prakash Rana urged the government to take concerted action to address this problem.
    Trilok Jamwal, a legislator from Bilaspur, suggested immediate action to prevent stray smuggling of stray cattle into the state, while MLA Ranveer Singh Nikka lamented that the stray issue and wild animals have left farmlands desolate.
    Legislator D S Thakur demanded an increase in the fodder allowance to Rs 1,500 for animals kept in cow shelters.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)