Come April 1, owners of stray cattle must pay Rs 10,000 fine

Taking a stern view of continuing instances of stray cattle, the civic body has decided to hike the penalty awarded to cattle owners to Rs 10,000 from April 1. The civic body has also increased the maintenance charge (applicable every three days) from Rs 150 to Rs 750. The stray cattle are kept in Corporation’s facility in Pudupet and Perambur. 

For motorists, however, the problem continues to persist in the city. Naresh R, an HR professional working in an MNC on OMR, said that the bovines are a huge problem while commuting to work. “Two months ago, I witnessed an accident when a rider came across stray cattle in the middle of the road unexpectedly, forcing him to apply brakes. The muddy condition of the road resulted in the bike skidding and the rider was grievously injured,” he said.  

Ravi K, a 32-year-old content writer, said that the cattle cause a traffic snarl on the city roads. “As you try manoeuvring the vehicle around the cattle, it slows down the traffic,” the resident of Mylapore said.