MP to hire volunteers on honorarium basis to end stray cattle menace

Around 2,000 volunteers are proposed to be hired with a monthly honorarium ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 to relocate the stray cattle to shelters, official sources said on Saturday.

A five-member high level committee headed by additional chief secretary (home) has been constituted to run a 15-day campaign to end stray cattle menace in the state, sources said.

It has been left to the district panchayat and rural development department to take a call on the amount of honorarium considering the number of stray cattle in their respective areas, sources said.

All the panchayats located on the side of highways will appoint volunteers who will relocate the stray cattle to the shelters and also build make-shift shelters for them.

The district administrations have also been asked to purchase hydraulic cattle lifting trolleys at a cost of Rs six lakh each to lift the cattle invading the roads to safer places.

The move comes amid a growing number of road accidents caused by stray cattle in the state in recent times.