Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

'Hefty fine only way to curb stray horse menace'

K.V.Prasad

Owners should be tamed: Councillors

COIMBATORE: The nearly four-hour drama last week at K.K. Pudur, in which a mare kicked and bit residents has spurred the Coimbatore Corporation into action after a solution to the problems posed by stray horses remained elusive for years.

Ten horses have been impounded so far - eight on Monday and two the previous day. But since there is no exclusive place to house impounded animals, the horses have been accommodated in the shed for bullocks belonging to the Corporation.

Realising that the existing fine of Rs.500 is inadequate to rein in owners of the animals, Councillors have urged the Corporation to increase it by at least ten times to deter them from allowing the horses to run riot on thoroughfares and in residential colonies.

Local councillors had often pointed out that the paltry fine never served as a deterrent. The owners paid the fine and left the horses to stray again. The hope now is that a fine of Rs.5,000 will end the menace. But the proposal has to be ratified by the Corporation Council. Last week's episode and the need to hike the fine are expected to figure in the Council meeting on April 29. Till then the Corporation will lodge complaints with the police against owners of the horses if the animals entered main roads and colonies.

Monitoring on

A team led by the Zoo Director, S. Thirukumaran, is monitoring the situation on NSR Road that separates Saibaba Colony (on the south) from K.K. Pudur (on the north). But impounding the horses and keeping them at the bullock shed is as far as the Corporation can go for the present. It cannot accommodate too many horses in its cattle shed as there is no provision for funding horses' maintenance. The civic body is authorised to buy only cattle feed.

"There may be audit objection to feeding a horse," says S. Jayalakshmi, Chairperson of the Council's Health Committee. "We have no place for horses. So the Corporation cannot capture them and keep them for long. A heftier fine is the only option." Corporation officials, however, say that the civic body has provided enough horse feed to keep the impounded animals in good health. The Congress Councillor, `Colony' R. Venkatachalam, who had run a campaign for steps to end the menace, says he will raise the issue at the Council meeting and make out a strong case for a higher fine.

"There is no point in letting these people off with a measly fine. For years, this has been happening and none took it seriously. Residents have been enduring the problem as complaints evoked no response from officials," Mr. Venkatachalam said.

"Now that the Corporation has realised the magnitude of the menace, a firm decision should emerge at the Council meeting."

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous | Engagements |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

'Hefty fine only way to curb stray horse menace'
Self-immolation bid: case against building owner
Drop in diarrhoea cases
HR meet
Around the City
In Coimbatore Today

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu