Pounds Bill passage…
THE Pounds (Amendment) Bill 2010, which seeks to increase the fee paid to a stray catcher or any other person, for every animal taken to a pound, from $1,000 to $5,000, was passed in the National Assembly on Thursday. It amended Section 4 of the Pounds Act, Chapter 71:04, to raise it because the present fee is too low.
Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. Clement Rohee, in moving the second reading said: “I do not believe that this amendment should attract any significant controversy.”
He said it aims at facilitating an increase in the fees paid to catchers of strays to be impounded in the country and, more specifically, where pounds have been established in or at Police Stations or such.
Rohee reminded that Section 4 of the Pounds Act had been amended by Act Number 14 of 1988 for a rise in the fees, from $5 and $3 to $30 and $20, respectively, payable to the person known as the stray catcher, who takes or sends a stray to the nearest pound.
He said Section 5 (1) was amended to increase the fees paid to the pound keeper from $5 and $2 to $30 and $20, in that order, and, under Act Number 29 of 2007, several sections of the Pounds Act were amended, again.
Rohee said Section 4 of that amended Act provided for a hike in the fees, from $30 to $1,000, to be paid to any person known as a stray catcher and the category of strays would include horse, cow, sheep or goat.
“These increases appeared to be adequate at the time when they were agreed, but experience and life itself, Mr. Speaker, has demonstrated that the amount of money in the sum of $1,000 has proved to be inadequate,” the Minister stated.
He continued:“And, having consulted with the Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs), the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) and a number of other individuals who have a stake in this matter and, given the risks that are associated with this exercise, many persons, who are desirous of performing the functions of a stray catcher, made representation to the effect that the sum of money to the tune of $1,000 was inadequate.”
Rohee said the Administration listened to those pleadings and representations that were made and, after discussions at the level of the Cabinet, the raise was agreed.
Wider support
He said this latest amendment to the Pounds Act should attract the wider support of the House, given the fact that there have been several complaints by road users and many other persons across the country steps should be taken to address the matter.
Rohee acknowledged that this increase will, obviously, win a tremendous amount of support in the country.
“This Parliament, as a reflection of the voting population in this country, ought not to strike a discord note with the aspirations of the population in general, which are aimed at ensuring greater safety on our roads and, if increasing the fee for the stray catchers will bring greater effectiveness to their work, I believe  that the Parliament would be serving the population well by supporting this amendment,” he added.
People’s National Congress Reform One-Guyana (PNCR-1G) Member of Parliament (MP), Mrs. Deborah Backer agreed it is a simple amendment but asked a few questions to clarify the rationale for the steps taken.
She enquired how many animals have been caught by stray catchers since the last amendment in 2007 and if the roads were any safer from strays, because of the raise from $30 to $1,000.
“We have to be careful that this $5,000 does not lead to some overzealous people trying to make money, because it will impact, in a strong way, on rural communities and we hope we do not see people opening cow pens or goat pens and leading and setting the animals astray and then taking them to the pounds to collect money,” Backer warned.
She said there has to be proper pounds, properly organised or else stray animals will continue to be seen on the roads.
Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Mr. Kellawan Lall, lending support to the legislation, said: “Although it is a simple amendment, I think, it will go a very far way in helping us to deal with a difficulty that we have down on the ground in various parts of the country.”
Responding to some issue raised by Backer, he said the Bill itself provides very severe penalties for anyone to open somebody’s yard or private property and let animals onto public property and then take them to pounds.
“The Act provides for that. So we don’t believe that would be a problem and those who are found guilty of that offence would be dealt with according to the law,” Lall assured.
He said strays pose a very big problem in the country. “It is not only an issue with roads but I have reports, on a regular basis from the various NDCs, as to the amount of damage done to public properties, especially drains and roads and pipes, fences, school yards and playgrounds by stray animals.”
Community meetings
Lall said, over the years, through community meetings “we have been trying to appeal to the conscience of cattle owners to confine these animals within spaces outside of the public.”
He conceded that they have not been able to make much progress in that regard and, consequently,  the need to move and implement some penalties for those persons who are found guilty.
Lall said stray catchers are employed, basically, by the NDCs, which have been finding it extremely difficult to identify engage tem, for $1,000, in the different communities.
He said, last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs repaired and rehabilitated a number of pounds and, at the moment, several NDCs are also identifying locations for additional pounds, particularly in the new housing schemes.
Lall mentioned, too, that there are special laws governing impounding of animals in the city.
“I think, while one can say, in a very definitive way, that this is going to be the ultimate solution to the problems we face with stray animals, I do believe that it will go a far way in helping us to organise this particular activity so we can get better results,” he offered.
Minister Rohee, winding up the debate, said all the pounds have to be gazetted and disclosed that, last year, 17 pounds were either built or rehabilitated.
“There was no abstractness in our approach to this matter,” he declared, adding that there was no point in moving to the question of increasing the fee for stray catchers and, as a logical extension, expecting more cattle to be caught and put in pounds that either did not exist or required rehabilitation.
Rohee said the first act that the Government undertook was to rehabilitate or build new pounds over the past two years and, having completed that process, moved to the next step of enforcement which requires a joint effort.
“I think that we have to take a stronger approach with respect to enforcement. We have to take a stronger approach with respect to encouraging the communities in the rural areas and also in those areas where pounds do not exist to have a coordinated and collaborative approach on this issue,’ he said.
“It cannot be done alone by the Guyana Police Force and I think we all recognise that,” the Minister emphasised.