Tribunal said movement of animal-driven carts on roads should be regulated. (Source: Express Archive)
Raising serious concerns over recurrence of accidents because of slow-moving vehicles, including bullock carts, a Motor Accidents Claim Tribunal (MACT) has directed the Delhi Traffic police to file an action taken report (ATR) within two weeks over the regulation of movement of slow-moving vehicles, especially animal-driven vehicles.
Additional District and Sessions Judge A K Mendiratta, directing police to file an ATR within two weeks, said, “Considering the hazards of transportation by bullock carts and the danger of putting the other users of vehicles at risk during transportation at prohibited timings or areas, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) is directed to take necessary steps to book the violators to prevent the recurrence of accidents.”
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The directive came in a road accident case where Rajesh, who was plying a bullock cart loaded with iron sariyas for delivery was hit by a vehicle that could not be traced. The incident had taken place near Chawri Bazaar in Old Delhi.
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The court further observed that the “use of bullock carts for purpose of transportation of timber or unwieldy metals like sariyas or iron girders or other articles exceeding the length of the carts needs to be regulated to prevent obstruction to traffic or inconvenience to other road users”.
The tribunal also questioned the traffic police over the suffering of animals during such accidents. “It may also be observed that the overloading of bullock carts results in the bulls being roughly and abusively handled in peak traffic for pulling the load, which causes mental and physical harm to the animals,” the MACT said, adding that under the provisions of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, the “state is duty-bound to take steps to prevent unnecessary pain or suffering on animals” as the rights of animals are also statutorily protected under Section 3 & 11 of the said Act.
Taking note of the Delhi Police’s 2001 notification on regulating the movement of slow-moving vehicles, the tribunal said the notification “needs to be given wide circulation indicating the timings and areas of restriction” to ensure proper implementation of the regulations of movement of slow-moving vehicles.
“Proper signages need to be put up near the commercial markets and roads prone to traffic jams where bullock carts are generally used for transportation. Steps must be specifically taken in the stretch of Old Delhi from Idgah to Burfkhana (Subzi Mandi) where the regulation of movement of slow-moving vehicles is required to prevent massive traffic jams,” the tribunal said.
Kaunain Sheriff M is an award-winning investigative journalist and the National Health Editor at The Indian Express. He is the author of Johnson & Johnson Files: The Indian Secrets of a Global Giant, an investigation into one of the world’s most powerful pharmaceutical companies.
With over a decade of experience, Kaunain brings deep expertise in three areas of investigative journalism: law, health, and data. He currently leads The Indian Express newsroom’s in-depth coverage of health.
His work has earned some of the most prestigious honours in journalism, including the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism, the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) Award, and the Mumbai Press Club’s Red Ink Award.
Kaunain has also collaborated on major global investigations. He was part of the Implant Files project with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which exposed malpractices in the medical device industry across the world. He also contributed to an international investigation that uncovered how a Chinese big-data firm was monitoring thousands of prominent Indian individuals and institutions in real time.
Over the years, he has reported on several high-profile criminal trials, including the Hashimpura massacre, the 2G spectrum scam, and the coal block allocation case. Within The Indian Express, he has been honoured three times with the Indian Express Excellence Award for his investigations—on the anti-Sikh riots, the Vyapam exam scam, and the abuse of the National Security Act in Uttar Pradesh. ... Read More
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Tribunal said movement of animal-driven carts on roads should be regulated. (Source: Express Archive)
