‘Lack of will’ in authorities to rein in or shift dairies away from landfills, says HC

New Delhi: Delhi High Court has lamented the “lack of will” in authorities to reign in violations by dairy owners or to shift them away from dangerous landfill sites to more hygienic locations.
“This court gets a distinct impression that there is a lack of will in the State functionaries to stop the rampant violation of laws by the dairy owners in the nine dairy colonies.These violations not only affect the public health of the citizens and residents who are consuming the milk being produced in these dairies but are also wrapped in extreme cruelty to the animals housed in these dairies,” a bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet PS Arora noted in a recent order, while dealing with petitions alleging violations of various laws in Delhi's dairy colonies.
The court was unhappy with the inability of Delhi govt and MCD to act against these dairy owners or to regulate them.
Highlighting “abject dereliction of duties by the animal husbandry unit of Delhi govt in the existing unlawful status of the dairies”, it pointed out that the unit "has, prima facie, not only failed in discharging its primary function of granting and regulating the licences to these dairies but it has also failed to provide for functional and stocked veterinary hospitals in these nine dairy colonies”.
The court’s observations came after it heard submissions by Delhi govt and MCD, with the chief secretary and other senior officers appearing before it via videoconferencing. In an affidavit, the CS said verification of status of licences issued to existing dairies in these colonies revealed that none of the dairies has statutory licences.
The court had earlier underlined the need for dairies to have permissions from MCD, govt’s animal husbandry department, Delhi Pollution Control Committee and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
The affidavit informed the court that at present in Ghogha Dairy colony only 139 plots were found to be in use as against 2082 developed. Out of these, 1081 plots though allotted are lying vacant/unutilised while 75 plots are constructed but lying vacant. Yet, no action has been initiated against the allottees of these vacant/unutilised plots, the affidavit conceded.
The govt said despite the availability of unallotted 773 plots and unutilised 1081 plots, due to the long distance involved there is no proposal/consensus to shift Bhalswa Dairy colony or Gazipur Dairy colony to Ghogha Dairy colony. Instead govt plans to ask MCD to raise barbed wire around Bhalswa Dairy colony and Gazipur Dairy colony to prevent cattle from grazing on the garbage at landfill sites.
Taking a dim view of Delhi govt’s stand, the court in its order has made the Central govt a party to the petitions since “alternate land within Delhi or outside would be required for shifting the Ghazipur and Bhalswa dairies.” It issued a notice to ministry of urban affairs, health, fishers and dairying and posted the matter for July.