Minister assures MLA of restarting animal races during rural sports fair
Animal sports lovers in the region saw a ray of hope for the restoration of bullock cart races in rural sports recently after the Minister for Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairy Development, Gurmit Singh Khudian, assured Amargarh legislator Jaswant Singh Gajjan Majra during an Assembly session that animal sports would be legalised in the state soon after the CM’s approval.
“Punjab Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Punjab Amendment) Act, 2019, was notified on March 27, 2024, and the file regarding Punjab Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Conduct of Kilaraipur Sports Events and Fair Rules, 2024, is pending for approval,” responded Khudian to a question raised by Gajjan Majra. Khudian announced that personnel in the district administration would be updated about the development in due course of time.
Gajjan Majra, who had raised the issue in the Assembly earlier, too, said organisers of the rural sports and bullock cart races were upset that the authorities had been forcing them to stop conducting these races. Though small organisers happened to conduct such races occasionally, the administration had not allowed the event at the Kila Raipur stadium, where bullocks had performed for the first time in 1933. The demand to take constitutional steps for the restoration of the event had arisen shortly after the constitution of the AAP government in the state three years ago.
Gajjan Majra said, “As a member of an agricultural family I am conscious about the consequences of cruelty against animals as we treat our cattle like our sons.”
Gajjan Majra said the demand, when accepted, would help solve many issues, besides rejuvenating rural sports in the region. Employment to cattle traders, jockeys, cattle breeders and partial solution of accidents due to lesser stray bulls on roads, were cited as some of the benefits of the restoration of bullock cart races.
Rearing of bullocks had remained a passion among farmers and other animal sports lovers till over a decade ago, when bullock cart races were banned in compliance of Supreme Court orders in 2014. Senior functionaries of the Congress party had also promised to get an ordinance passed for allowing bullock cart, dog and horse races, during the previous government’s term. Activists of Bullock Cart Runners Committee had been taking organised measures to get the event restored but their efforts did not yield results.
