Animal deaths at Chardham: U'khand HC issues notice to state govt, seeks reply in 2 weeks

People for Animals member Gauri Maulekhi said that the government is lying about animal deaths, “while the reality is terrible”. Maulekhi further added that hundreds of horses and mules are dying every day in Kedarnath while the state government is doing nothing.

Dehradun:Nainital: The Uttarakhand High Court on Wednesday issued a notice to the state government including the district magistrates of the four dhams, animal husbandry department over the deaths of horses and mules during the ongoing Chardham Yatra. Acting Chief Justice Sanjay Kumar Mishra and Justice RC Khulbe while hearing the plea filed by BJP leader Maneka Gandhi's 'People for Animals' asked the respondents to file a reply in 2 weeks.

Besides, the court directed the state government to constitute a committee to run the yatra safely. The court has fixed June 22 as the next date for hearing the matter. The plea filed by by 'People for Animals' member Gauri Maulekhi submitted that hundreds of horses and mules are dying on a daily basis during the ongoing Chardham Yatra in Uttarakhand because of a fatal disease called Glander's disease.

Maulekhi said that the government is lying about animal deaths, “while the reality is terrible”. Maulekhi further added that hundreds of horses and mules are dying every day in Kedarnath while the state government is doing nothing. “Cruelty with animals is increasing every year. The state government has failed to frame a policy for the Yatra,” she said adding the animals were overburdened even as no veterinarian had been deployed to take care of them.

She further added that many dead animals are being thrown into the rivers, which is putting the health of the pilgrims bathing in the rivers at risk. There has been an outbreak of Glanders disease among the animals which is notifiable under the Infectious and Contagious Diseases Act 2009. She further added that none of the 10,000 horses at the Yatra had been tested for the disease, thereby putting lives at risk.

The symptoms of the disease include bleeding from the nose of the horses, shortness of breath, dryness of the body and lumps all over the body. The disease can also spread to other animals. Maulekhi called for a large scale testing of the animals for the disease.

Recently, in Uttarakhand, Animal Husbandry Minister Saurabh Bahuguna visited Kedarnath Dham and inquired about the deaths. Bahuguna also tweeted that the deaths had been considerably brought down a claim contested by 'People for Animals'.