Livestock census deadline extended in West Bengal

Kolkata: The West Bengal Animal Resources Development department has extended the deadline of the livestock census in the state for some more time, an official said on Wednesday.

The country-wide survey was supposed to be concluded on December 31, but the deadline was extended in West Bengal for some more time to complete the process, the official of the Animal Resources Development department told PTI.

"The livestock census deadline was December 31 but it had been extended for some more time. I can speak about Bengal, but to my knowledge, the enumeration drive has been extended elsewhere in the country as well to make it foolproof and successful," the official said.

Additional Chief Secretary, Animal Resources Development department, Vivek Kumar, had said in a notice earlier that the census is to be conducted at households in the city, all urban areas, and villages, including those inhabited by defence personnel, paramilitary forces, and police.

The data from the census will be uploaded on the union government portal by a mobile app.

Managing Director of the West Bengal Livestock Development Corporation (WBLDC) Utpal Kumar Karmakar said in West Bengal the exercise will be over by February.

Another official in the animal resources development said the extension was necessitated due to the reluctance of a large section of owners of domesticated animals - from pet dogs particularly pedigree ones, cats, buffalo, cow, goats, horses in shed - to help the enumerators list their animals for a database uploaded in the all India portal of the central government.

The reluctance is more prevalent in both cities like Kolkata and Siliguri and district towns including Durgapur, Asansol and Baharampur among others, the official said.

"The owners apprehend their animal will be taken away by the team or they will be heavily fined but we don't go from house to house to conduct raids for confiscating purposes. We just enlist and want to see valid papers from the owners," he said.

The official said municipal corporations, municipalities and panchayats are being involved in the enumeration process to make it more broad-based and effective "as the local councillor or panchayat representative can have better reach to the residents of his area and know about their possession of any animal.

Already Kolkata Municipal Corporation and Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation have been approached and the process has begun.

Kolkata Municipal Corporation Mayor-in-Council member Debashis Kumar told PTI, "We have received the communication from the state department. We are activating our local network to reach out to pet owners in our areas. We don't foresee any problem." Apurbo Bose, owner of a beagle in the Bhawanipur area of the city, said "We have not been approached by any state official. However, we have all the papers ready including tax tokens." "If someone, duly authorised by the government and armed with valid identity proofs, knock on our door we will invite him for a cup of coffee, present our pet before him and show all the papers. He can then leave," he said.