News Excerpt: 

The Delhi High Court has issued directives to combat the use of spurious Oxytocin hormone in the dairy colonies across the national capital, stressing the need to address animal cruelty and public health concerns.

More about Court’s Direction:

• The court asked the Delhi government’s Department of Drugs Control to conduct weekly inspections and register cases against the administration of the hormone. 

•  The HC further observed that these offences will be investigated by jurisdictional police stations, wherein the dairy colonies are situated.

• Delhi police to identify the sources of oxytocin production, packaging and distribution, and take action in accordance with the law.
• The court’s order came after a petition appealed authorities to look into the state of dairies in the Capital.
• The High Court had constituted a court commissioner for inspecting nine dairy colonies in the Capital. 
• The court commissioner had flagged the “rampant use” of oxytocin
• It noted that as per the Court Commissioner, the condition of all the nine designated dairy colonies in Delhi — 
• Kakrola Dairy, Goela Dairy, Nangli Shakrawati Dairy, Jharoda Dairy, Bhalaswa Dairy, Ghazipur Dairy, Shahbad Daulatpur Dairy, Madanpur Khadar Dairy and Masoodpur Dairy — was “bad”
• Since administering oxytocin amounts to animal cruelty and is a cognisable offence under Section 12 of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, consequently,
• This Court directs the Department of Drugs Control, GNCTD to conduct weekly inspections.

Measures suggested by Court:

• There is urgent need to rehabilitate and relocate the Ghazipur Dairy and Bhalswa Dairy forthwith as they are located next to the sanitary landfill sites.
• Cattle in the dairies situated next to the landfill sites without doubt would feed on hazardous waste and their milk if consumed by humans, particularly children, (directly or indirectly) could have serious consequences.
• The dairies should be relocated in areas having proper sewage, drainage, biogas plant and ample open space for the grazing of the cattle.