Nepal to fix electronic chips on animals to monitor them
Kathmandu: Authorities in Nepal have planned to fit electronic chips on animals including cows and oxen to keep a record of loitering cattle in Kathmandu, a media report said Sunday.
The chips may be installed on the ear or neck of an animal, The Kathmandu Post reported.
"We will have a control room to monitor those animals," Dhanapati Sapkota, chief of the Implementation Department at the metropolis, said.
He said his office is planning to maintain a database of households that keep animals such as cows and calves.
The metropolis held a meeting with officials from Animal Nepal, a non-profit organisation working to set a standard of animal welfare.
"We'll be helping the metropolis for the installation of chips and handling the data," said Bishnu Prasad Joshi, former chief of the municipal police.
The metropolis has been consulting with other organisations as well and seeking technical consultancy to curb the problem of stray cattle.
"The metropolis had started a drive two decades ago of lifting animals from the streets and auctioning them but the problem has yet to be resolved. With this new initiative, we'll be able to root the problem out," said Sapkota.
Over 10,000 such animals have been auctioned in the past two decades, he said. Joshi said the reason behind the lack of progress was the metropolis not having a shelter for loitering animals.
"Since we don't have a good Kanji (animal care) house, many stray animals, which were already sick, died in Teku last year," said Joshi.
Due to the ill-health of animals, people were not interested in buying them, he said. Sapkota is hopeful that the new dive will be successful.
Reports show that 500 animals, including oxen and cows that do not give milk, are left on the streets of Kathmandu every year. Sick animals are also abandoned by their owners.
These animals not only occupy the roads, they also cause accidents.
The Metropolitan Traffic Police Division had planned to search for the owners of abandoned cattle and fine them but not a single owner has been booked so far.
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Hemant Soren to take oath as 14th CM of Jharkhand on Thursday
Ranchi (PTI): Hemant Soren is set to take oath as the 14th chief minister of Jharkhand in a grand ceremony here on Thursday, which will be attended by several top political leaders, including AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Soren at 4 pm.
This will be the 49-year-old JMM leader's fourth stint as chief minister.
Soren retained the Barhait seat, defeating BJP's Gamliyel Hembrom by a margin of 39,791 votes in the recent assembly polls. The JMM-led alliance stormed to victory, securing 56 seats in the 81-member assembly, while the BJP-led NDA managed 24 seats.
Posters for the event can be seen across the city, while security has been strengthened and traffic regulations put in place.
Schools in Ranchi city are shut on Thursday in view of the swearing in of the Hemant Soren government.
Jharkhand in-charge and Congress general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir said Soren is likely to take oath alone, and expansion of the cabinet will be held after a vote of confidence in the assembly.
Other senior political leaders likely to be in attendance are NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, a JMM leader said.
CPI(ML)L general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti and Bihar’s Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav are also likely to attend the oath-taking ceremony.
"It’s heartening to have such esteemed leaders join us for this important occasion," said Soren, who along with senior officials paid a visit to the Morabadi ground on Wednesday evening to take stock of the arrangements.
