Wednesday, June 14, 2017

IMC, collector served HC notices over cattle drive

Times of India: Indore: Wednesday, June 14, 2017.
The action taken by Indore municipal corporation (IMC) against stray cattle has been challenged by an NGO before the Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh high court. The court has issued notices to IMC commissioner, district collector and others, who have been named as respondents.
The petition has challenged several aspects of the drive, on the basis of the information collected through Right to Information Act. The matter was heard on Monday by the division bench of Justice PK Jaiswal and Justice Prakash Shrivastav, who accepted the applications for urgent hearing during the summer vacations.
Advocate Manohar Dalal filed the petition on behalf of the NGO Animal and Bird Welfare Society. The notices were accepted on behalf of principal secretary of animal husbandry department of state government by government advocate.
While seeking primary relief in the petition, Dalal appealed the court to quash the orders passed by district collector under section 144 of IPC, on the basis of which the IMC commissioner had initiated the drive against cattle rearers.
The petition also stated that as per the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, each animal before being transported from one place to another through a vehicle must be examined by a veterinarian and should be issued a fitness certificate.
The court was told that cows and buffaloes from the city are being transferred outside its limits in overcrowded vehicles.
"At least 15 cows and buffaloes are being transported in vehicles with a capacity of seven animals. Also, the IMC does not have a record of what happens to cattle after they are handed over to the tribals in Jhabua," said another advocate Lokendra Joshi. The RTI application filed by the NGO seeking details of the number of cows and buffaloes shifted from the city has revealed that 176 animals have been shifted from the city limits to outer regions as a part of the civic body drive.
The IMC had initiated the drive against stray cattle in March. Seven teams were formed to initiate the drive and each team was allotted three zones for the removal action against stray cattle. IMC had involved 150 employees in the drive.