Allahabad High Court comes to the rescue of countless voiceless animals butchered with pain and suffering
The Allahabad High Court, today, issued notices to Centre, FSSAI, Animal Welfare Board of India, UP government, Commissioner of Food Safety, UP, Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation, UPPCB, CPCB and others on illegal operations of meat shops and slaughterhouses in Ghaziabad.
The petition moved by Ghaziabad Councillor Himanshu Mittal raises statewide non-compliance of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and MOEFCC guidelines and various Supreme Court orders.
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Appearing for the Petitioner, Mr. Akash Vashishtha, Advocate, submitted before the bench of Chief Justice Pritinker Diwakar and Justice Saumitra Dayal Singh, that in Ghaziabad, out of nearly 3000 meat shops and slaughterhouses, only 17 have licenses under Section 31 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
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Only 215 meat establishments are registered with the Food Safety department under the Act. Only 62 Improvement Notices have been served upon them. Only 5 licenses have been revoked in last 11 years.
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“None of the meat shops and slaughterhouses in the district has mandatory Consent to Establish and Operate under Section 25 of the Water Act,” he told the court.
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“Perpetual cruelty to animals is being caused in violation of laws. In Laxmi Narain Modi matter, the Supreme Court constituted Committee on Slaughterhouses for each state. Such committee is completely defunct across the state.
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The Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, to be constituted in each district, is either non-existent or defunct in most of the districts, Mr. Vashishtha informed the court.
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“I am also agitating on the serious issues of lack of veterinary care and animal welfare shelters across the state. There is no mechanism, no provisions, no facilities, no rescue vans if injured animals are to be rescued and treated,” submitted Mr. Vashishtha.
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The court has directed the parties to file their replies by May 3.
