Fines fail to curb cattle on roads; lax enforcement draws flak

Stray cattle continue to roam Madurai streets despite Rs 4.14 lakh in fines, prompting residents to blame lax enforcement. Residents say the civic body’s enforcement is sluggish, allowing the animals to block roads especially at night. Madurai Corporation data for June show 94 stray cattle heads were impounded and owners were fined a total of Rs 4,14,500, yet locals note the penalties have not cleared the thoroughfares. “Fining owners a few thousand rupees clearly isn’t working,” said resident K Karthikeyan. A senior corporation official announced that impounding activities will be increased and that repeat offenders will have their cattle seized and auctioned rather than returned, while owners are warned to confine animals to private sheds to avoid public auctions.