The Gujarat government has decided not to implement the bill passed by the state Assembly to combat the stray cattle menace in urban areas, state Minister Jitu Vaghani said on Thursday, despite protests from members of the Maldhari community.
After meeting with a delegation of Maldhari or cattle rearer community members led by former MLAs Ranchhod Desai and Bhawan Bharwad, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel decided to put the bill on hold.
"The chief minister and Urban Development Minister Vinu Moradiya met with Maldhari community leaders to discuss the issue." "The chief minister assured reporters in Gandhinagar that the BJP government will not implement the bill," Vaghani said.
The Gujarat Cattle Control (Keeping and Moving) In Urban Areas Bill, which was passed during the Assembly's recent Budget session, requires cattle rearers to obtain a licence to keep livestock in cities and towns, or face imprisonment.
The Gujarat Congress, which was dissatisfied with the announcement, demanded that a special session of the Assembly be called to permanently scrap or withdraw the bill.
"Only the Assembly has the authority to repeal or withdraw a previously passed bill." As a result, instead of simply delaying the bill, we demand that the BJP government call a one-day Assembly session to scrap or withdraw it," Deputy Leader of the Opposition Shaikesh Parmar said.
Since the bill's passage, members of the cattle rearer community in the state have been outraged, launching a protest and submitting memorandums calling for its repeal.
Notably, Gujarat BJP chief C R Patil previously stated that he had asked the chief minister to reconsider the bill because the existing rules for controlling cattle menace in municipal corporation areas were adequate and there was no need for a new law.
The bill was passed in the early hours of April 1 following a seven-hour heated debate that began around 6 p.m., with Congress strongly opposing it and threatening a statewide uprising.
According to the bill, a cattle rearer will be required to obtain a licence from a competent authority in order to keep cattle in Gujarat's eight cities and 156 towns, and the cattle will be required to be tagged within 15 days of obtaining such licence.
The bill states that if a cattle owner fails to tag his animals within 15 days, he will face imprisonment for up to a year, a Rs 10,000 fine, or both. The bill states that if tagged cattle are seized, the owner will be fined Rs 5,000 the first time, Rs 10,000 the second time, and Rs 10,000 and an FIR the third time.
