HAMIRPUR: The Himachal Pradesh government is considering reconstituting the Animal welfare board with an aim to implement the Animal cruelty act vigorously. This was stated by the chief minister, Prem Kumar Dhumal while presiding over the State Level Meeting convened to formulate future plan for development of 'Gau Sadans' in association with the NGOs and charitable trusts in different parts of the State IN Dharamshala last evening.

He said that the Board would act as the facilitator to protect the domestic animals from cruelty and abandonment etc. He said that domestic animals, especially cows, were considered the holy animal and religiously attached to the devotees sentiments. He said that it had been observed that some people were abandoning their domestic animals on finding them useless, which was a practice contrary to the high religious sentiments of the country.

Dhumal said that protection of the domestic animals was the responsibility of their owners and their abandonment would be viewed seriously by the authorities. He said that identification marks applied to enumerated domestic animals would help in identification of their owners who could be liable to be charged under different legal provisions enacted to protect the animals.

Chief Minister said that the state government would be extending all cooperation and help to the NGOs and Charitable Trusts for setting up of more 'Gau Sadans' all over the state. He said that efforts would be made to rope in NGOs and trusts exclusively dedicated to protect the stray animals from cruelty at the hands of wild animals and inhospitable dwelling conditions. He said that 13,144 stray animals had been enumerated all over the state abandoned by their owners. He said that in all there were 42 'Gau Sadans' in the state which included 3 in government and 39 in private control, operated by NGOs and charitable trusts, having capacity for housing about 8,500 stray animals. 

Chief Minister emphasized the need to maintain strict vigil on the borders of the state so that neighboring state's strayed animals were not transported to the state. He said that it would be the joint responsibility of the local border gram panchayat and police to check the increased number of the astray animals in their area. He directed the revenue authorities to expedite land lease cases for construction of 'Gau Sadans' by different organizations in the state.

 Sukhdev Sharma, President, Gau Raksha Samiti, Hamirpur and Rasil Singh Mankotia, apprised of the various solutions to the problem of stray animals and requested the Chief Minister to personally intervene in the matter.