The Aryavarth Express
Gandhinagar (Gujarat): In a move to leverage modern technology and artificial intelligence for urban governance, the Gujarat government has initiated a pilot project in the expanding Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) area to address problems caused by stray cattle.
According to an official release, the initiative follows the establishment of the AI Centre of Excellence in Gandhinagar under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. The state is working to strengthen citizen service delivery by integrating advanced technologies into administrative processes.
Stray cattle, particularly cows, frequently cause traffic disruptions and accidents in Ahmedabad. At present, AMC teams manually identify stray cattle by reviewing CCTV footage and matching images with microchips and RFID tags, a process that is time-consuming and labour-intensive.
To streamline this system, the administration has begun introducing AI-driven solutions. The AI Centre of Excellence at GIFT City, Gandhinagar, has assigned an agency to develop an artificial intelligence model using deep learning techniques. The proposed model will soon be presented to a steering committee for review.
The AI system will analyse images captured by CCTV cameras to identify stray cows in real time and trace their owners. A cow’s nose serves as a unique biometric identifier—similar to a human fingerprint. By scanning facial features, eye patterns, and distinctive marks, the AI model can identify individual cows within a crowd, match them with an existing database, and retrieve ownership details.
Currently, around 1.1 lakh cows in Ahmedabad are fitted with RFID tags and microchips, with the database maintained by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. CCTV cameras installed at nearly 130 junctions across the city regularly capture images of stray cattle.
If successfully implemented, the AI-based solution is expected to significantly improve the management of stray cattle, ease traffic congestion, and enhance public safety by reducing cattle-related accidents. The initiative also aims to establish a robust, data-driven monitoring system for urban management, the release added.
