Animals at social activist's house get a new lease of life

Mumbai: In a touching gesture, the Bombay High Court has given a go-ahead to the Pune unit of People For Animals (PFA), co-founded by Member of Parliament Maneka Gandhi, to take care of "200 to 300" rescued animals languishing in Pune's Queen bungalow of bed-ridden social worker Lila Parulekar.

Hearing an application filed by PFA seeking to intervene in an ongoing public interest litigation, Roshan Dalvi of the high court directed the Pune Police Commissioner "to provide necessary assistance and security" to the NGO to carry out activities aimed at taking care of animals housed in a shelter in Parulekar's bungalow.

Taking serious cognisance of the "obstacles" put up by the security guards employed by Sakal Papers to carry out the various animal welfare works suggested by the court on December 2, 2011, Justice Dalvi stated in her latest January 4,2012 order: "…we direct that the Commissioner of Police, Pune City shall provide necessary assistance and security to the intervener [People for Animals] to carry out the activities as permitted by this Court by order dated 2 December 2011".

The high court's January 4 order has come as a huge relief for animal lovers as it will facilitate the Maneka Gandhi-headed PFA to initiate various steps to take care of the rescued animals.

The animal shelter in question has been in operation for the last several decades and earlier it used to house around 500 animals including cats, dogs, horses, cows, buffaloes and birds. However, it has been in a state of neglect for the last few years, following the indisposition of Parulekar.

"Since November 2010, the animals have been in complete neglect and without any kind of care. The high court order should pave way for proper care of the animals and restoration of the shelter to its previous standards of love and care for the animals," Manoj Oswal of the Pune unit of PFA told Gulf News.

Among welfare measures that the high court has allowed PFA are: cataloguing/database of the animals and preparing medical case papers of all 200-300 animals, and urgent isolation of sick and diseased animals.

In other guidelines that the judge has given to the PFA are: volunteers shall assist in day-to-day work at the shelter where there is shortfall of manpower; provision of additional temporary skilled/unskilled workers.

The public interest litigation was filed by an activist, Pronoti Vyas, seeking to get justice for Parulekar and her animals, "who are both in a pitiable condition".

While the dispute over Parulekar's land continues, the high court had directed Animal Welfare Officer Supriya Bose to conduct an inquiry into the state of animals housed in Parulekar's bungalow.

After Bose's report stated that the entire shelter was in total disarray and needed urgent attention, Maneka Gandhi intervened in the high court and made an application offering to take responsibility for providing help to the animals.