Chennai: One can no longer load and transport livestock in vehicles overloaded, crowded and with no space demarcated for each animal. If found doing so, the owner of the vehicle will be penalized, with the license and permit of the vehicle cancelled. Over 4,000 online petitions and letters posted to the Union transport minister by animal lovers have paved the way for an amendment in the Motor Vehicle Act 1988 that led to a Central Motor Vehicles Amendment Rules 2015, that lays specific requirements while transporting livestock’s effective January 1, 2016.
For animal lovers in the city, the news came as a reprieve as they believe the new Act will be a weapon that can be used against animal traffickers. “This is a welcome move by the government. For many animal traffickers, who transport cows and buffaloes, this legislation is going to serve as a clear warning signal. But I still feel more needs to be done,” said Suchitra Rao, an animal lover and a marketing professional at a private firm in Chennai.
According to the new Act, motor vehicles used for transportation of livestock by road shall be in accordance with the specifications of the Bureau of Indian Standards as provided in IS-14904-2007, and the transporter of the livestock will have to abide by the specifications.“Feel really proud at this moment and we are all thankful to all those who signed the petitions online to transport minister Nitin Gadkari who acted at the right time,” said Arun Prasanna, Founder and Secretary of People for Cattle in India (PFCI), one of the NGOs based in Chennai instrumental in signing petitions online for introducing the new Act.
