Punjab government to start penalizing violators of animal rights
Secretary Livestock Barrister Nabeel and SPCA honorary Secretary Farhat Nazeer Awan took a special interest in discouraging cruelty to animals.
In an attempt to discourage animal cruelty and protect their rights in Punjab, the provincial government has made a decision to restart the challan process.
The process of challan and other punishments will re-start during January. Officials have been asked to speed up the process of inspection of cruelty against animals.
Challan books will be distributed among the officials of the Society of Protection of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), a government working for the rights of animals and birds.
SPCA Inspector Abu Suffian said special magistrates are being deputed at the district level to impose fines and other penalties on people who have been involved in torturing animals. The government has ordered district session judges to depute special magistrates in their respective districts.
Secretary Livestock Barrister Nabeel and SPCA honorary Secretary Farhat Nazeer Awan took a special interest in discouraging cruelty to animals.
‘’They, both, are committed to protecting the rights of animals’’, said Abu Suffian. While discussing challan amount and other punishments, he said that a new draft was ready to be presented in the assembly soon and in the future, the challan amount will be increased.
While answering a query, he said that there were 50 types of cruelties occurring on animals, including animal fighting (cocks, bear, dog, camel, partridge, and others), torturing with sticks, putting red chili in eyes or rectum, touching electric devices, repeatedly hitting nails during race competitions, ignoring treatments, putting animals at a short space in cattle markets, overloading, putting animals under seats of buses during transport, injuring animals to get more work, ignoring feed requirements and taking work during forbidden hours (10 am to 5 pm) had become common in Punjab.
He said that there had been punishments for animal cruelty in the past. On a daily basis, 15 to 20 challans were submitted with the magistrate. The owners did not inflict torture on their animals.
These steps will help to revive SPCA in a positive way, he added.
Abu Sufian said that there was Rs.200 fine and six-month imprisonment if anyone was seen torturing animals under SPCA 1890 Act. This amount will be increased in the upcoming legislation.
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