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SPCAs functioning:HC warns of heavy penalty for non-compliance of orders on providing facilities
The Punjab and Haryana high court has warned authorities in two states to comply with the orders on creating facilities at Society for Prevention of Cruelty of Animals in districts.
The Punjab and Haryana high court has warned authorities in two states to comply with the orders on creating facilities at Society for Prevention of Cruelty of Animals (SPCAs) in districts.
The high court bench of justice Vinod S Bhardwaj gave 15 days time to administrations in both the states and observed that details prepared by lawyers on facilities reflected a dismal performance by the Punjab and Haryana-- so much so that the mandatory statutory requirements have not been fulfilled despite lapse of more than two decades of the enunciation of the statue and despite lapse of nearly 10 years of passing of orders by the Supreme Court directing the state governments to comply.
The court was hearing a plea from a society, Mowgli Aid Animal Welfare Society, alleging failure of authorities to allocate/provide adequate land and other facilities to SPCAs for the purpose of constructing infirmaries and animal shelters in the districts as required according to the provisions of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Establishment and Regulation of Societies for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Rules, 2001. As per the petitioner’s counsel, Anurag Chopra, in some cases SPCAs were set up but they are not undertaking works for which it was mandated. The state authorities have not created SPCA in the districts and also not provided a full-time veterinary doctor and other staff to the same for the effective running and maintenance of such infirmary or animal shelter. 20 years have lapsed since the issuance of rules, yet the same has not been implemented, the NGO had alleged in the court.
The petitioner society runs animal ambulance services, dog sterilisation and vaccination programmes, treatment camps, and disaster rescue missions for animals in the tricity.
The court had sent teams of lawyers to examine facilities in two states and as per the reports submitted, deficiencies were found. Copy of the observations made by the teams have been handed over to the respective state counsels as well as to lawyer of Animal Welfare Board of India.
The court also asked Animal Welfare Board to go through reports prepared by teams of lawyers and file an affidavit as to whether the deficiencies pointed out were to be addressed by the respective states or not.
Giving fifteen days time to the respondents, the court asserted that needful be done within 15 days failing which the court would be left with no option but to impose heavy penalty for non-compliance of the order as well as requirement of the statue. The matter will now be taken up on March 15.
