CHANDIGARH: In a first, Municipal bodies in Punjab have decided to impose cow cess to ensure the well-being of bovines and have them rehabilitated at the gaushalas (cow shelters).
Out of the 156 Municipal Committees in the state, 32 have already passed resolutions in this regard, while four have given their nod. The cess is already being levied by Bathinda, SAS Nagar and Phagwara Municipal Corporations.
The Cess would be collected in different slabs. While Rs 1,000 will be charged as cow cess on registration of four-wheelers, a person will have to shell out Rs 200 while registering a two-wheeler.
Also, Rs 100 will be imposed on oil tankers for each trip within the city limits. Booking A/C marriage halls will cost Rs 1,000 extra in the form of cow cess, while the rate for a non-AC hall will be Rs 500.
In case of liquor, foreign liquor brands will carry a Rs 120 cess, while it will be Rs 60 for desi brands.
The state government has also imposed a cess of Rs 1 on a bag of cement while it will be 2 paisa per unit of power consumed. To ensure the success of the project, the state government also plans to provide free water and electricity to all cow shelters. The items purchased by cow shelters will be exempted from VAT.
Talking to Express, Kimti Bhagat, chairman of Punjab State Gau Sewa Commission, said that the government has now decided to construct 22 cow shelters with an area of 25 acre each across the state.
“There are 472 cow shelters run by private bodies or NGOs, where some 2.69 lakh cows are rehabilitated. There are still 1.06 lakh feral cows in the state. Under the new initiative, some 2,500 of the feral cows will be sent to each gaushala,” Bhagat said.
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has already allotted Rs 2.50 crore for building the cow shelters.
The Deputy Commissioners in each district have been given Rs 13 lakh to construct boundary walls on lands earmarked for building shelters. “Soon, the state government will release Rs 1 crore per shelter for its upkeep and maintenance. This is besides the cow cess, which the Municipalities are imposing,” said Bhagat.
Imposing cow cess under Section 7 of the Punjab Prohibition of Cow Slaughter Act, 1955, the Municipalities can actually raise big money for the development of the project.