more-in The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought the response of the city government, civic bodies and the Animal Welfare Board on a plea claiming that “massive cruelty” is inflicted on cattle every day in milk dairies in and around the Capital. A Bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C. Hari Shankar heard the petition, which claimed that the health and well-being of cattle were being “severely compromised” in milk dairies falling in the municipal zones of Delhi. ‘Injected with Oxytocin’ Animal rights activist Gauri Maulekhi, in her petition, sought direction to immediately identify the number of cattle in these dairies to ensure they follow minimum standards prescribed under Delhi Municipal Act and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Registration of Cattle Premises) Rules. She said there was a lack of adequate infrastructure in these dairies and that there is no proper space for animals. “It is not uncommon to inject these cattle with Oxytocin, a prescription drug, to boost milk production, sometimes two-three times a day,” she claimed. The petition said that newborn male calves are separated from their mothers to prevent them from drinking their mother’s milk. “Further, male calves which do not have any financial value for the milk producers are illegally sent to slaughter houses, immediately after their birth,” it added. She further alleged that there is rampant illegal slaughter of cattle which are considered non-productive to the dairy industry “especially, male calves and non-productive cattle”. ‘Abandoned on roads’ Other unwanted cattle are abandoned on roads, forcing them to fend for themselves after spending their most productive years tethered to tiny ropes with pumping machines attached to their udders, Ms. Maulekhi said. Citing other forms of animal rights abuse, Ms. Maulekhi told the court that “animals are tethered with such short ropes that they are unable to lift their head, turn around, groom themselves or even ward off the flies that the filthy surroundings attract”. She claimed that animals were kept in sheds with thatched roofs supported by bamboo sticks in east Delhi's Ghazipur dairy. Ms. Maulekhi alleged that at the Masoodpur dairy near Vasant Kunj in south-west Delhi, the animals are “forced to live under broken asbestos sheets that do not protect them from extreme weather conditions”. The court has also sought response of the Delhi government’s Departments of Urban Development and Animal Husbandry, Delhi Advisory Board of Animal Welfare, Delhi Milk Scheme, Delhi Pollution Control Committee and Drugs Control Department of Delhi. It listed the matter for hearing on April 23.

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