Animal fair: Fatehabad admn ‘ignores’ Maneka’s letters

Tribune News Service

Fatehabad, February 5

The district administration has been ignoring letters from Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi and holding weekly animal fairs every Sunday in violation of the rules.

Even complaints on CM’s Window lodged by the local unit of the union minister’s organisation— People for Animals (PFA)— are being ignored because Haryana Panchayat Minister OP Dhankar wants the fair organised as usual.

Following Maneka Gandhi’s intervention, the Fatehabad authorities had discontinued the fair in July 3 last year.

In her letter to Chief Secretary DS Dhesi on July 14, Maneka Gandhi had welcomed the decision to discontinue the fair but drew his attention towards such fairs being organised at Hisar, Sirsa and Dabwali.

The minister, inter alia, stated in her letter that animal fairs originally meant for farmers had now become centres for butchers and animal mafia from UP. Animals were being subjected to cruelty during transportation and lack of any facilities in the fairs, she stated.

She alleged pregnant cows and buffaloes were being transported in a cruel manner. While no steps were taken to stop fairs in Sirsa, Hisar and Dabwali, the authorities in Fatehabad resumed these in the town on September 13 last year.

“We have been running from pillar to post with requests that either the fairs be discontinued or it must be ensured that animals are not subjected to cruelty. But our requests have been falling on deaf ears of the authorities,” alleged Vinod Karwasara, district president of the PFA.

Deputy Commissioner NK Solanki said the fairs were discontinued following Maneka Gandhi’s intervention but these were resumed only after asking the departments concerned to follow the rules. Solanki claimed that Agriculture Minister OP Dhankar had also backed the farmers’ demand for resuming the weekly fairs.