The auctioning of stray cattle has become a profitable business for the Kozhikode Municipal Corporation these days. The civic body has already earned around ₹2 lakh from the sale of cattle in recent months.
The latest auction held on Saturday was for four calves and a cow that were sold at ₹47,000.
“Two calves were kept for around 10 days, while another two for two months. The owners had not turned up to claim them and hence we auctioned them,” said corporation health officer R.S. Gopakumar.
The health wing is on a dedicated mission to regulate the “unobstructed” run of stray cattle on city streets, often disrupting traffic.
Cattle caught by the corporation squad will be impounded on the Mayor Bhavan premises on P.T. Usha Road and auctioned after 48 hours if the owners fail to turn up.
‘Produce proof’
The civic body said cattle owners should produce documents of ownership, an attested letter from the local councillor, proof of identity, and a written affidavit on a ₹100 stamp paper that they would not let the animals wander on the streets again. This is apart from a fine they should pay to take back the animals.
At present, they have to pay a fine of ₹1,000, catching cost of ₹2,000, and a maintenance cost of ₹500 per day. “It is difficult to get hold of cattle during the day, especially when there is heavy traffic. Hence, most of the squad’s activities are at night. We may request the traffic police to make arrangements for us to catch the animals during the day too,” Dr. Gopakumar said.
