The High Court has verbally directed the deputy commissioner of Cox’s Bazar to ensure adequate food and accommodation for the horses in the tourist city.
The deputy attorney general has been asked to inform the Cox’s Bazar DC about the details of the order.
The High Court bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman passed the order on Wednesday. The court will hold further hearings on the matter in August.
On June 29, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), Youth Environment Society (YES) and People for Animal Welfare Foundation filed a writ petition seeking directions from the court to protect the horses used for recreation of the tourists in Cox’s Bazar.
Also read- More horses die as Cox’s Bazar reels from Covid closures
Advocate Rezwana Hasan and Advocate Saeed Ahmed Kabir took part in the hearing for the petitioners. Deputy Attorney General Bipul Bagmar represented the state.
During the hearing Tuesday, Advocate Rezwana Hasan told the court that 46 horses have died and 56 horses are still alive. Following a news report on the sorry state of the horses was published, a private organization arranged a month’s food. The food was supposed to last till Wednesday.
The secretaries of the Fisheries and Livestock Ministry and Environment, Forest and Climate Change MInistry, the director general of the Department of Environment, the director general of the Department of Livestock, the chairman of Bangladesh Tourism Corporation, the president of Bangladesh Veterinary Council, the deputy commissioner and the superintendent of police of Cox’s Bazar, the mayor of Cox’s Bazar Municipality, the deputy director of Environment Department and the officer-in-charge of Cox’s Bazar Sadar police station have been made defendants in the petition.
Also read- Cox's Bazar horses starve to death as pandemic hits tourism
According to the writ petition, Cox’s Bazar is a green land of natural beauty. Millions of tourists flock to this city every day. Tourists from home and abroad ride horses as part of entertainment. More than 200 horses are kept there for recreation.
But the horses in Cox’s Bazar are dying due to lack of food as the number of tourists is declining due to movement restrictions imposed by the government.
During the second phase of lockdown across the country, 21 horses died due to lack of food, as published in a national daily. And in the first phase of last year’s lockdown, more than 40 horses died in the food crisis.
Unable to provide food for the horses, the horse owners and caretakers are leaving the horses on the road. As a result, the horses are getting sick and dying after eating various wastes including polythene.
