Rise in cattle population, smuggling crackdown, and accidents in MP

Recently, the Madhya Pradesh government has constituted a high-level committee to control the stray cattle problem in the state. The government will also run a 15-day campaign on major roads and take action to control stray cattle. The committee will be headed by the home department’s additional chief secretary (ACS). The state government last week also declared that the stray cattles  will be addressed as 'destitute' instead of 'stray'.

Before this, the government had instructed each district collector to keep stray cattle off of main thoroughfares.

In addition to the senior secretaries of the PWD, animal husbandry, and dairy departments, the ACS of the panchayat and rural development departments have been included in the committee.

According to the press release, the member secretary of the panel will be the senior secretary of the Department of Urban Housing and Development.

Cattle, such as cows and buffaloes, are frequently seen sitting in the centre of the major roads in MP, resulting in traffic accidents. Last year, it led to as many as 167 accidents in just six months in Bhopal. Deaths have occurred in a total of 74 such cases. 

According to a news report, stray cattle during the monsoon have resulted in accidents daily in the city. The number of such accidents has gone up to 40 per day. The data sourced by Bhopal traffic police revealed that accidents owing to the same used to happen earlier too, but had been limited to just 15 per day till last year.

Increase in bovine population

According to the latest livestock census, with 536.76 million livestock overall, the population has increased by 4.8% from the 2012 Livestock Census. There are 514.11 million livestock in rural areas and 22.65 million in urban areas, respectively, with a percentage share of 95.78% in rural areas and 4.22% in urban areas.

The total number of bovines (Cattle, Buffalo, Mithun, and Yak) was 303.76 million in 2019, up 1.3% from the previous census.

With 193.46 million cattle overall in the nation as of 2019, there has been a 1.3% growth from the last Census. 

The livestock population in Madhya Pradesh saw an increase of 11.81% as compared to the 2012 census, while states like Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan witnessed a decline in the livestock population.

The cattle population saw a slight decline of around 4% from 19.6 million to 18.8 million, there is an increase of 25% in the case of buffaloes in the state from 8.2 million to 10.3 million. However, in terms of numbers, the number of cattle is higher.

The law against cow slaughter

The Madhya Pradesh Cow Slaughter Prohibition Act prohibits the illicit transportation of beef and cows. The Act defines beef and cows, and it prohibits their killing and illicit trafficking. Similarly, the Madhya Pradesh Krishak Pashu Parikshan Act prohibits cow slaughter. It states,

“No person shall slaughter or cause to be slaughtered or offer or cause to be offered, for slaughter of any cow progeny. “

The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act also prohibits any animal from being beaten, excessively ridden, burdened, or subjected to pain or suffering. Recently, district officials were properly instructed and trained on the terms of the Act.

Actions by the State

The Madhya Pradesh government has declared 2024 as 'Gauvansh Raksha Varsh' (Bovine Protection Year), stepped up attempts to seize cattle smuggling vehicles, tripled the budget for cow protection, and urged senior police in every district to crack down on cow slaughter.

Between January and June of this year, police detained 1,651 persons in 731 cases involving unlawful cattle trafficking; the same period last year saw 212 cases, with approximately 400 cases expected throughout 2023.

The state also demolished 21 of the accused's homes, including 11 on June 15 in Mandla district, where meat was allegedly found in their refrigerators. This year alone, police have seized 450 vehicles and rescued 7,524 cows across the state.

Seoni, a tribal-dominated area in south Madhya Pradesh, is key to the government's campaign against livestock smuggling. On June 19, 63 butchered bovines were discovered, leading the CM to move the local SP and collector overnight.

While there is an increase in the government's crackdown on cattle smuggling, farmers in Madhya Pradesh also suffer crop losses due to threats from cattle, often damaging their crop fields.

Support us to keep independent environmental journalism alive in India.

Keep Reading

MP farmers battle stray animals, and sleepless nights to protect crops

Pesticides and agriculture threaten Sarus Cranes at Indore’s Yashwant Sagar wetland 

Changing weather patterns impacts soybean crops in the Dewas region of MP

Follow Ground Report on X, Instagram and Facebook for environmental and underreported stories from the margins. Give us feedback on our email id [email protected]. 

Don't forget to Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Join our community on WhatsApp, Follow our Youtube Channel for video stories.