Vexed by the booming cow population on Jaipur's streets, the city authorities have decided to put electronic identity tags on the ears of the bovines.

The Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) will also take punitive action against the owners who leave their cows on the streets, leading to frequent traffic hold-ups.

The JMC will affix tags behind the ears of all the cows. If a cow is detained more than four times by the JMC, then it would not be returned to the owner, a spokesperson said.

Every tag would have a certain number that would reveal the identity of the cow owner.

"Most owners after milking their cows leave them on the streets to forage for food. Such cows not only interrupt the traffic flow but also die after consuming plastic bags and poisonous substances," one official said.

The detained cows would be taken to cowsheds in the Purani Kotwali and Sanganer areas. The owners would be allowed to take them only after paying hefty fines.

The charges for the electronic tags would be low, the spokesman said. The details on the penalty are still being worked out.

According to officials, the system would also help in preparing a computerised record of the cows in Jaipur.

The project would initially be implemented on an experimental basis in Hingonia Goshala cowshed on Agra Road. If it proves a success, the scheme would be applied elsewhere in the city.

The Rajasthan Electric and Instrument Ltd (REIL) would provide the tags.