Owners flout ban on horse ride in plateau

PUNE: An investigation by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) on Thursday revealed that horse rides are on offer at the volcanic plateau in Panchgani, popularly known as 'table land', despite a ban imposed by the Bombay High Court in 2002.

The investigation was conducted following the death of the school student, Tanushree Hedge, on Wednesday. The board found that neither the horse nor the handler was registered with the AWBI.

No medical examination of the handler was conducted and there was no post-mortem of the horse, said animal welfare officer Manoj Oswal. The board official also claimed that the animal did not die in the accident but breathed its last because its owners had tied the horse's legs and dumped it in the valley to die.

Oswal, who conducted the investigation, told TOI it was shocking that the horse, which was badly injured, was killed by the owners when they realised the animal will be of no use. "The investigation has revealed that there is not a single veterinary doctor to treat horses in Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani area and most of them depend on quacks," he said.

"There are around 160 horses used for joyrides in this area, whereas the Bombay High Court had banned horse rides on the plateau, because of the ecology and safety aspect," he said.

Oswal said the accident showed that it was the reluctance of the horse owners to follow precautions and the direction of the AWBI and the police. "We can book a case under IPC Section 286, for negligence by the management in respect to animals causing grievous injury to human beings," he said.

Oswal said the horse owners did not take proper care of the animals and the handlers were not properly trained. "Three years ago, a camp was held for the horse owners on the safety aspect. The horses are treated cruelly and thorny bits are fitted in the horse's mouth," he said.

Oswal said, "After speaking to eyewitnesses, we found that the five girls sat on the horse cart and one of the girl pulled the harness of the horse which was given by the handler. The horse moved backwards and in panic the girl again pulled the harness. By the time the handler could control the situation, the accident had happened."

BOX

The Panchgani Municipal Council has given strict orders to implement the ban imposed by the Bombay High Court in 2002 barring horse buggies and horses on the ecologically sensitive Panchgani plateau.

Chief executive officer of the Panchgani Municipal Council Asha Raut told TOI, "Despite the ban, horse ride was offered on the table land. The horse owners were flouting the order so we have given strict direction to stop horse rides here."