PETA petition against Horse Carts: Municipal Body assures HC of decisive action

On Tuesday, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) told the Delhi High Court that action was being taken on regular basis againstany illegal plying of horse, mule or pony buggies in areas under its jurisdiction. The SDMC made the submission in its affidavit filed before Justice Najmi Waziri in response to a plea by People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Indiafor enforcement of a resolution dated January 4, 2020 passed by the municipal corporations banning plying of horse drawn carts or ‘tongas’ on the roads of the national capital.

The SDMC, in its affidavit, stated that it issued a letter on September 9 to all its zonal deputy directors to “ensure that no horse drawn carts or tongas ply illegally in areas under their jurisdiction”. It also said that its zonal officers have reported that there is no illegal plying of horse drawn carts or tongas in their areas and action was being taken against any such activity.

It also said that it has issued licenses to 135 persons to run 135 horse drawn buggies for ceremonial purposes like marriages. With regard to testing of the animals for any diseases, the SDMC has said that this is the responsibility of the Delhi Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals which comes under the Animal Husbandry department of the AAP government.

PETA India, represented by advocates Rohit Jain and Swati Sumbly, in its plea has claimed that the animals hitched to tongas are made to work in extreme heat and cold in a highly polluted environment. “They’re often overloaded, exceeding the legal limits on the quantity of goods and the number of passengers that they can bear, and forced to work for prolonged hours,” the petition has said.

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