Mumbai, Maharashtra:
Victoria carriages in Mumbai will be off roads in one year, as the Bombay High Court has ordered a ban on horse carriages, which operate in areas like Nariman Point as tourist attractions.
In an order, a Division Bench of the Bombay High Court today observed, "We hold that the use of horse driven carriages/victorias in the city of Mumbai are completely illegal," also ruling that horse driven carriages do not fall within the purview of public conveyance.
The ban in Mumbai follows a ban in cities across the world like Las Vegas, Toronto, London, Paris, Beijing and New Delhi.
The court's directive comes after a petition by NGOs working for animal rights, claimed that overwork, malnutrition, and ill treatment amount to extreme cruelty to the horses. It also argued that the current condition of roads were unsuitable for the carriages and put animals at a huge risk.
Maharashtra state government has been asked to prepare a rehabilitation plan for the horses, and families that earn their livelihood from them, they have been given time till December 31 to submit the plan.
Horse carriage operators at Nariman Point refused to speak on camera, but told NDTV, "We are willing to consider other option if we are rehabilitated. Or else where do we go? If the court has ordered it to stop then we have no option but to stop."
The court also clarified that the order pertained to horse driven carriages in the city of Mumbai only, and not to other parts of the state. It has allowed the state to consider taking appropriate legal action in other parts of the state, if it is found that the horse driven carriages are used only for joyrides.