HC seeks report on proposed cattle colony on Varanasi outskirts

The Allahabad High Court today directed district and civic body officials of Varanasi to apprise it of the steps taken to set up a 'cattle colony' on the outskirts of the city for stray animals and for shifting dairies.

A bench comprising Chief Justice DB Bhosale and Justice Suneet Kumar asked the Divisional Commissioner of Varanasi, the Vice chairman of Varanasi Development Authority (VDA), the municipal commissioner and other officers concerned to provide a detailed report in this regard.

The court asked them to file an affidavit within four weeks regarding progress made in shifting of dairies and other stray animals to the outskirts of the city where the district committee had identified the land for setting up the cattle colony.

Additional chief standing counsel Ramanand Pandey, appearing for state government, informed the court that 9.6 acres of land has been identified in Chittupur area on the outskirts of the city and approval for construction of the cattle colony has been taken by the expert committee constituted under the direction of the high court.

The court wanted to know from the district administration as to why the dairies situated in the city are not being shifted outside the city area for which the state government had already issued direction.

The bench passed the order on a writ petition filed by Jyoti Kesharwani and others alleging that "due to absence of an animals colony, the animals are moving on the roads of Varanasi city freely, which is causing injuries/accidents etc to the citizens".

"Only setting up of animals colony would solve this problem," the petitioner said.