PIL Filed Against Assam Govt for Transportation Of Four Elephants To Gujarat

Guwahati, June 21, 2019:

A PIL by an NGO has been filed in Gauhati High Court to restrain Assam from dispatching of four elephants from Tinsukia of Assam to Ahmedabad in Gujarat for participating in the annual Rath Yatra festival to be held there on July 4, 2019.

The PIL has been filed by ‘Avinava Prayash’ an NGO of Guwahati, represented by its Secretary, Urmi Mala Das ( an Animal Rights Activist, freelance writer, and blogger) and Nandini Baruah (Fashion Designer and runs ‘Purr Paws Foundation’ for street animals at Guwahati).

Meanwhile, Kaliabor MP Gaurav Gogoi has also appealed to the central government to intervene into the matter. He wrote to the Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, GoI, Prakash Javedkar to take immediate step to stop the transportation.

Also Read : Govt Plans to “Override” Elephants in Deepor Beel

The PIL filed on Friday, under Article 226 of the Constitution of India before the Gauhati High Court challenging the action of the Government of Assam, in the Forest Department, which has taken a decision to transfer on lease four elephants, including two females, and to transport them by railway wagons from Tinsukia in Upper Assam to Ahmedabad in Gujarat for participating and for adding pomp to the Annual Rath Yatra festival to be held there on 4th July, 2019.

An order to this effect has been issued by the Chief Wild Life Warden & Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wild Life), Assam. The order for dispatching the elephants was signed by the Chief Wild Life Warden & Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wild Life), Assam, and the Conservator of Forests, (Eastern Assam Circle), Jorhat is looking after the entire process of transporting the elephants.

Senior Advocate Bhaskar Dev Konwar is appearing for the petitioners and permission have been granted to list the PIL on Monday next (June 24).

The Petitioners have contended that the decision of the State Government is in violation of the relevant provisions of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and relevant orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in this regard. Moreover, dispatch of the elephants in railway wagons in the prevailing heat-wave conditions in the North Indian States would subject the animals to extreme stress, pain, and cruelty and they may not survive the long journey of 3106 kms., which would take several days to traverse.

The four elephants belong to private owners. It appears that two of the said four elephants were not captive born but were caught from the wild and domesticated. Micro-chips on the two elephants were implanted in June 2015 and ownership certificates for the said two elephants have also been issued specially to facilitate the process of their transportation to Ahmedabad, in the State of Gujarat.

The elephants in question are being transferred to Ahmedabad in Gujarat on a six-months’ lease.