The decorated horse-driven carriages used for joyrides at Marine Drive and other beaches here are soon to go off the roads. Terming illegal the use of horse carriages for joyrides, the Bombay High Court on Monday banned them in Mumbai and directed the authorities to phase them out in one year.
“We hold that the use of horse-driven carriages/victorias in the city of Mumbai for joyrides is completely illegal. The authorities of the State shall ensure that [their] use in the city of Mumbai shall be completely stopped on the expiry of a period of one year from today,” a Division Bench of Justices A.S. Oka and A.K. Menon ruled on a petition by the Animals and Birds Charitable Trust.
The Bench said no wheeled vehicle hired for joyrides could be used for public conveyance. “Therefore, no licences can be granted for the victorias or carriages drawn or propelled by the horses in Mumbai,” it ordered.
The court directed the State to identify the number of families whose livelihoods were connected with the running of horse carriages and come up with schemes for their rehabilitation by December 2015. The government would also have to formulate schemes for rehabilitation of the animals.
After the expiry of the one-year period, the Mumbai Corporation would have to close down all the stables meant for horses and ponies and take action under the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The petition said the horses were forced to overwork.
Plight of animals
The petition highlighted the plight of the animals driving the carriages and the unhygienic conditions of their stables, while a majority of the animals did not have proper shelters. It cited various instances of cruelty to animals as the horses were forced to overwork. The Corporation in its affidavit said there were 10 stables housing 158 horses and none of them held valid licence.
