Once a bull station, British-era veterinary polyclinic in Vellore to move to new premises soon

Government Veterinary Polyclinic in Vellore relocating near Central Prison with modern facilities, inaugurated by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin soon.

Once a bull station, the British-era Government Veterinary Polyclinic will soon move its campus near the Central Prison on the outskirts of Vellore town as the work is nearing completion.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will soon inaugurate the new campus for the century-old polyclinic. The relocation comes after restrictions of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on the expansion of the existing facility.

The polyclinic is located within the prohibited area of Vellore fort, a 16th century protected monument, and permission from the ASI is required for any new construction or repair work to be undertaken within 100 metres of the monument, according to the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act 1958.

“The new premises will have state-of-the-art facilities once it becomes operational soon. It has complete in-patient facility for all animals especially cattle to treat them better,” G. Anduvan, Assistant Director, Department of Animal Husbandry (Vellore), told The Hindu.

Veterinarians said that originally, the polyclinic was a bull station for villages in northern Tamil Nadu in early 1920s when it was started by the British to breed quality bulls for farming thereby improving agricultural productivity.

It was located near the fort where the British forces and families were staying as it helped in monitoring of the station. As per records, Ida Scudder, American medical missionary who was the founder of the Christian Medical College (CMC), donated an in-patient ward to treat cows in 1923. Since then, the bull station was upgraded into a veterinary clinic after independence and the district veterinary polyclinic in February 2019.

Spread over 5.33 acres at the centre of the town, the polyclinic currently treats an average of 70 cases daily, with milch cows, bulls, dogs, and horses being the majority of animals treated at the facility.