The Delhi High Court on Friday asked the central government if it could “explore the feasibility of shifting” Ghazipur and Bhalswa cattle dairies outside the city as they are “situated next to landfill sites” which are “very dangerous”.
The court was hearing a petition regarding the state of dairies in Delhi, wherein it was earlier informed that the condition of all nine designated dairy colonies in Delhi, i.e. Kakrola Dairy, Goela Dairy, Nangli Shakrawati Dairy, Jharoda Dairy, Bhalaswa Dairy, Ghazipur Dairy, Shahbad Daulatpur Dairy, Madanpur Khadar Dairy and Masoodpur Dairy, was “bad”.
With respect to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD’s) submission about building an 8 ft wall around Ghazipur and Bhalswa dairies to separate them from the landfill sites they are located next to, a division bench of acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora orally said, “…wall fencing won’t work. You think it can’t be broken or breached? This is someone living in a fantasy land who is making these projects. Totally cut off from the ground level reality.”
The court further orally remarked that it seemed that despite the court making an effort to improve the condition of the dairy colonies, “all obstacles are being created”.
“It is being ensured that nothing happens and the status quo continues as it is. The intent is to perpetuate it for some reason or other,” the bench orally said.
Meanwhile, the court was told that the veterinary hospitals located there hardly had “any infrastructure and medicines are not available”.
“Your officers, I don’t know what they are doing…some grand wall is being built, which I don’t know is supposed to be like a Chinese wall…each wall will get breached. The officers in court have been there five times in the last one month. Normally we don’t keep a check and balance but here we have directed the DSLSA (Delhi State Legal Services Authority) to get involved. There is a registrar-level officer involved in this please. I am telling you, you will bear the cross for this. The MCD and GNCTD,” the bench orally said to the counsel appearing for the MCD and Delhi government.
Observing that this exercise was being done for the public, the bench said, “It is not for our personal benefit we are only concerned about the next generation in the city. You want everyone to suffer from cancer in the city?”
On the issue of shifting the Ghazipur and Bhalaswa dairies, the Centre’s counsel said that it would have to be “effectively” shifted either to Uttar Pradesh or Haryana. Asking the Centre’s counsel to see if land can be identified for these dairies, the bench orally said that it would pass a detailed order on the issue.
Noting that there were “fundamental infrastructure issues” in the dairies, the bench orally said the cattle should be shifted to a place where there is a proper grazing area as none of the dairies in question in the matter had the same.
“Everything must be there. Set up a modern facility, a proper green area where the cows can move around; water and drainage facilities,” the bench orally added.
