Times News NetworkMargao: Authorities on Tuesday shifted 102 cattle from the demolished Dhyan Foundation gaushala at Deusa, Quepem, to a recognised gaushala in Bicholim after the animal welfare organisation failed to comply with govt’s order to relocate the animals.The relocation was carried out by officials from the directorate of animal husbandry and veterinary services after the Dhyan Foundation did not act on the directive issued by deputy collector and sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Quepem, Vimod Dalal. The operation, conducted under heavy police security, witnessed tense exchanges between the foundation representatives and officials. Officers from the veterinary department and the District Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) supervised the exercise.“The Dhyan Foundation had not complied with the order of the deputy collector, so we had to intervene and take the cattle away,” Quepem mamlatdar Nathan Afonso said.On Sunday, Dalal invoked Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and directed the foundation to remove all cattle from the site within 12 hours, citing risks to public safety, health and animal welfare.The order followed the demolition of eight gaushala sheds at Deusa in the early hours of July 22 by unidentified persons, triggering a dispute between the Dhyan Foundation and the managing committee of Shri Damodar Devasthan, Zambaulim, on whose land the shelter was located. Quepem police have registered an FIR against temple committee president Manjunath Dukle and others in connection with the demolition.After the foundation failed to meet the deadline, the authorities proceeded with the rescue and relocation of the cattle at the foundation’s risk and cost.
