Bareilly: Stray animals have always been a matter of concern in rural areas since every year several hectares of standing crops get destroyed by them. In order to prevent the crops from getting damaged, special secretary in UP government Jitendra Bahadur Singh has instructed all the Zila Panchayats (ZP) in the state to ensure that kanji house —shelter homes where the animals are kept till they are claimed— are well maintained.For this, the state finance commission will grant funds for renovation and maintenance of the house.In his letter, Singh said it was very important to run and maintain kanji house properly in order to prevent crops and minimise road accident caused due to stray animals. Notably, under Cruelty To Animals Act 1876, there is a provision to have kanji-house in villages.ZPs are instructed to ensure proper arrangement of fodder and water for the stray animals at kanji-houses and a veterinary doctor.However, Bareilly ZP chairman Sanjay Singh, who attended a meeting in Lucknow in this regard last week, has claimed that they have not been informed as to where they would get funds for the maintenance of kanji house.“We don’t have any fund for kanji house. If the government doesn’t grant money for that, we will not be able to renovate them,” he added.The government has asked to hire people on contractual basis to maintain them. They would be paid from ZP budget or the amount collected from imposing fine on cattle breeders.The government also has rated the penalty on stockbreeders if their animal is caught being strayed.Until 1997, one pond keeper and a peon were deputed at every kanji-house, but with a government order issued on June 9, 1997, this cadre was abandoned.

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