Times of India: Chennai: Monday, 15 December 2014.
Answers to an RTI petition show that poor
coordination between various government departments has resulted in the state
failing to prevent trafficking of camels, mostly from Rajasthan, to Tamil Nadu.
In response to an RTI application filed by an
animal rights activist, Corporation of Chennai, the public health department
and the transport department all said no camels were brought for slaughter to
Chennai during 2014.
By contrast, the state police said 29 camels were brought to
Chennai and illegally slaughtered that year.
People For Cattle in India trustee G Arun Prasanna
said various groups bring camels to Chennai around Bakrid and Muharram. They
are slaughtered in unauthorised butchers' shops, mostly in the Washermanpet
locality.
"The RTI reply confirmed that there is a huge gap between the regulatory
bodies and the enforcement departments when it comes to preventing the
trafficking of camels," Prasanna said.
According to the rules, camels can be slaughtered
only in licensed slaughterhouses under the supervision of a veterinarian, he
said. "The corporation said it does not have any facilities for the
slaughter of camels, but the animals are still brought to the city and
illegally butchered for consumption," Prasanna said. "Camel numbers
are rapidly declining in the country."
Animal activists say groups involved in animal
trafficking bring camels to the state mostly from Rajasthan, but some of the
animals are also from Haryana and Gujarat. "They make the animals walk
most of the way or bring them to the state in cramped vehicles. A large number
of camels are often stuffed into a single truck, with their legs tied together,
without food or water on a tip that lasts several days," an activist said.
Prasanna said the health of the camels is not
checked before slaughter, which could lead to diseases being passed on to those
who consume the meat.
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