PIL Filed in Madras HC Demanding Reflective Collars for Stray Cattle

The reflective collars, which are visible from a long distance, alert drivers to the presence of an animal on the road, allowing the driver to slow down and avoid a fatal road accident.

The PIL, filed by advocate B Ramkumar Adityan, also requested that the court order the authorities to relocate stray and untagged cattle roaming the streets to shelter homes and to effectively implement the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules.

The first bench of Acting Chief Justice T Raja and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy admitted the petition as a PIL and directed the authorities to respond within four weeks.

According to the petitioner, cattle in rural and semi-urban areas are roaming on state and national highways because pasture lands maintained by local governments have been encroached upon.

"It is common to see stray dogs roaming around in packs and scavenging around garbage piles. "The number of dogs roaming the streets appears to have increased rapidly, forcing people, particularly elders and school-aged children, to be cautious in order to avoid stray dogs," the petitioner stated.

According to the XI Schedule of the Constitution, the state may endow civic bodies with the authority to establish and operate cattle pounds/shelters, he said.