HC asks Delhi govt, authorities to work on plan to relocate illegal dairies, rescue cattle

The Delhi High Court has asked the AAP government and other local authorities to sit together and come out with a plan to relocate illegal dairies and rescue the cattle housed there, from various parts of the city to an appropriate area in the national capital.

A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao issued the direction to the Delhi government and asked its Chief Secretary to hold a meeting with the DDA, Urban Development Department, the three municipal corporations and the Animal Husbandry Department to work out a proposal.

After the deliberations, the Chief Secretary has been asked to submit a report to the court on what the government intends to do to resolve the issue.

The direction from the bench came after the North Delhi Municipal Corporation said there were many dairies in the national capital which were "open" without any walls or roof with the cattle roaming around in there.

It had also told the court that the number of 'Gaushalas' in the city were not sufficient to house the cattle rescued from illegal dairies.

The court was hearing a PIL by Delhi resident Sham Sharma who had in 2016 moved the high court seeking shutting down or relocation of the illegal dairy farms in the national capital.

The court is scheduled to hear the matter next on March 25, 2019.