It was in 1995 that the VMC proposed to set up a 38-acre settlement for rabaris in Dena, 12 km away from the city. The 2,000-strong rabari community refused to take up the offer before the authorities laid on all the facilities, including schools and roads, free of charge. Talks broke down on that issue and haven't been revived since.

So rabaris continue to let loose their cattle on the streets, and the VMC security staff continue to impound 30 cows a day. If the estimate of 5,000 cattleheads on the Vadodara streets is true, it'll succeed in impounding them all in roughly 160 days. By this time, the impounded cattle will have been released at the rate of Rs 250 each and set free on the streets again. And so the cattle continue to hinder traffic and injure pedestrians.

Though animal welfare organisations and the police suggest the fine should be increased, political considerations are likely to stem the attempt. The rabaris are an influential community, with their own political workers, who can pressure the authorities into releasing impounded cattle a fact even Standing Committee chairman N V Patel admits, though he denies BJP members' complicity.

While many of the VMC's administrative officers have no idea of the Dena file, the elected wing is not better off. But recently, a team of BJP councillors visited Idar to study the panjrapole (place to keep cows) system. After the Bharuch by-election, they'll go to Ahmedabad to study the rabari settlement.

But if the civic body could have it's way, it would pass on the responsibility to the police, as under the Bombay Police Act, the police are supposed to drive away cattle impeding traffic. Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M K Tandon agrees the responsibility technically lies with them, but says lack of infrastructure does not allow them to fulfill it. ``However, we provide manpower to assist the VMC staff'', he adds.

If the civic body and the police have let the public down on this count, Mayor Ratilal Desai is no different. He organised a rabari convention last year, when community members agreed to shift to Dena, but the infrastructure question hijacked the plans. Says BJP worker Narayan Rabari, a member of the community, ``There is no point in shifting unless we get proper facilities. Also, we should be given free land as we'll be vacating our houses here''. Councillor Khoda Bharwad voices the same concerns, but says the VMC can charge a token amount if necessary.

Lending further gloom to the picture, is the below-par co-ordination between the civic body and voluntary animal welfare organisations. While Snehal Bhatt of the Gujarat Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals suggests that stray cattle be auctioned -- as in Mumbai -- to discourage rabaris from setting them loose, Dr Annapoorna of V-Care says the problem can be solved only if the rabaris are given open, green land.

The GSPCA is also ready to take away more than 100 cows and donkeys to distant villages, but Deputy Municipal Commissioner (General) I B Peerzada, is unwilling to foot the transportation charges of the cattle as ``there's nothing concrete''.

GSPCA and V-care are also eager to take up the administration and veterinary care of the animals in the cattle pounds respectively, but Peerzada says the VMC does not want to go in for short-term plans. ``A long-term plan has to be worked out,'' he adds. Tandon, too, is hopeful that a change will come about soon.