a programme for the ear tagging of cattle at Behera Sahi, near Kalinga Stadium on Tuesday. Several awareness vehicles were also launched. Tagging is done by attaching a soft plastic number given by BMC to the cattle.
BMC Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena, said the ear tagging campaign for the cattle has been launched across the city to stop the stray cattle menace and make the city roads safe. “Odisha Men’s World Cup Hockey-2018 will definitely bring a tourism focus to the city and many foreign players, officials and dignitaries will visit our city,” he said.
He flagged off vehicles with public announcement systems to create mass awareness of ear tagging of cattle in the city. “By tagging cattle, owners can also identify their animals during any natural calamity, theft and illegal transportation of the animals through traders,” Jena added. BMC Deputy Commissioner Subhranshu Mishra, said the cattle under the BMC limits are to be tagged positively as per the decision of the civic body. “The tagging is done for free and in the first phase, a pilot 2,000 cattle would be covered. People can take their cattle to the nearest veterinary clinic and get them tagged,” Mishra said.
If an animal is found roaming aimlessly on the roads after tagging and is caught by the cattle catching squad of BMC, the owner is liable to pay Rs 1,000 for the release of the animal. In case of untagged cattle, the owner has to pay Rs 1,500 as fine. There will also be an additional daily fine on the cattle. Sub-Divisional Veterinary Officer (SDVO) Dr Harekrushna Sahoo, said tagging will help the civic body as these tagged cattle are to be linked to the database of their owners.
