Hyderabad: The district collector of Yadadri, Anita Ramachandran, told this newspaper that her office has not received an official copy of the gazette notifying the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017, from either the central government or the Telangana Animal Husbandry department.
The details are therefore not clear and there is a proposal to exempt buffaloes, she said. “Once we get the official orders from the government, we shall implement the rules,” she said. As the district authorities have not received copies of the gazette, markets are operating as usual.
Under the gazette orders, markets should not function at the borders of states and the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the State Board, and veterinary inspectors should take care of the implementation of the Act.
As per the gazette, a new committee at the district level—District Animal Market Committee should be formed. This committee will be chaired by the district collector. The chief veterinary officer will be the secretary and the members will be jurisdictional divisional forest officer, jurisdictional superintendent of police, a representative from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and two representatives from an animal welfare organisation, recognised by the government will be members of the committee.
