The folks in rural Maharashtra can no longer engage in their pastime of watching the decades-old bullock cart races as the government has banned any kind of exhibition, races or games involving bullocks across the state with immediate effect.
The state government resolution dated August 24, said: “As per the Government of India notification dated July 11, there is a ban on the exhibition of bear, monkey, tiger, leopard and lion. Accordingly, the state was considering the ban on bullock cart racing. Thus the state has, with immediate effect, banned the race of bullock carts.”
The blanket ban has upset bullock owners across the state. The Western Maharashtra Bullock Cart Racing Association has already sent a legal notice to the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) seeking clarification about the ban imposed on bullock cart racing.
Advocate Dhairyasheel Sutar, who is also contemplating of challenging the government resolution in the Bombay high court, has in his notice sent on behalf of the association stated: “The association has firmly resolved that the race would be in compliance of provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
President of Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Anil Katariya, who has been the forerunner in campaigning for imposing the ban on the races said: “I have been working towards bringing this ban since a long time. I started informing the people around me to stop ill-treating the animals whenever I sat in a horse cart. But over a period of time, it did not work. So in 2004, I moved the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay high court praying for a complete ban.
In 2007, as part of an interim order, the court restrained conducting joint horse-bullock races in Ahmednagar district. Since then my petition has been pending for a final hearing.”
Welcoming the ban on bullock cart races in the state, Katariya, who along with his family members has also stopped consuming any milk or milk products in their house, said: “These races are not only for entertainment but have become a form of gambling in many areas which needs to be stopped. The animals are made to run for kilometres for the crowd’s benefit. They don’t have any idea about winning or losing.”
Advocate Sutar though said: “The bullocks are not ill-treated in any way. They are taken care of well and no cruelty is committed on them, thus the ban is totally unfair.”
