RAWALPINDI, Dec 16: The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board on Monday launched the campaign to drive milch animals out of the RCB limits.

On the first day, about 44 buffaloes were impounded from different localities, including Gawalmandi, Dheri Hassanabad, Westridge, Lalazar, Dhoke Charaghddin and Allama Iqbal Colony.

“These cattle will be released after the payment of fines and assurance of their owners to shift them to the localities specified by the civic body,” said the RCB additional executive officer, Hassan Akhtar Mirza.

The operation was launched after the one-month deadline given by the Lahore High Court to the cattle-owners ended on Monday. According to cantonment officials, there are about 1,000 buffaloes in RCB areas. For the convenience of herdsmen, the civic body had divided the cantonment into three zones.

These were cattle zone, buffer zone and no-cattle zone. The cattle zone consisted of periphery of the cantonment and the cattle-owners were allowed to shift their animals there. Buffer zone consisted of the localities, which are away from the posh areas. In the buffer zone, the cattle could be kept temporarily whereas the no-cattle zone comprised posh areas and areas adjacent to the busy roads.

On the other hand, the cattle-owners termed the derive unjust. “Our only fault is that we provide milk to the people,” said a milkman.

The union leaders of the dairy association said no facilities had been provided in the cattle zone. They showed strong resentment over the attitude meted out to them by the cantonment authorities. They said the RCB focussed on the posh areas only.

Meanwhile, in another operation, the RCB also razed about 80 newly-built shops to ground in Gawalmandi. According to officials, these shops were constructed in violation of cantonment building laws. “These were encroachments, which caused a big problem for the residents,” said an official, who led the operation. A heavy contingent of police, the cantonment magistrate, and other anti-encroachment staff conducted the operation.