New Delhi: City civic body MCD on Wednesday told
the Delhi High Court that it has framed a set of new norms to
ensure that stray cattle, caught by it, are auctioned only
after giving sufficient time and opportunity to their owners
to reclaim and relocate them.
The Municipal Council of Delhi made this submission to
the bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjiv
Khanna in an affidavit filed in response to a public interest
lawsuit alleging that the civic body auctioned stray cattle,
seized by it, hurriedly and clandestinely to butchers
without giving the cattle owners any time to reclaim and
relocate their lost cattle.
The PIL had been filed by the Citizens for the Welfare
and Protection of Animals, a registered trust. It had said
that its members, during some of their recent visits to
Timarpur Cattle Pound, had found sick animals being auctioned
to butchers in a clandestine manner.
The petitioner had also sought appointment of trained
staff and veterinarians for the cattle pounds to provide the
animals better facilities and treatment.
The bench earlier had sought a status report from the MCD
and the Animal Welfare Board on the PIL, while directing the
civic agency to appoint a nodal officer to curb the
possibility of illegal and clandestine auctioning of cattle by
cattle pound officials.
With the MCD filing its affidavit today, the court sought
replies from the petitioner as well as the management of
Timarpur Cattle Pound and fixed September 28 for further
hearing.
PTI
