Villagers protest closure of veterinary hospital off Sarjapura Road

Villagers protest closure of veterinary hospital in Bengaluru, pet lovers & activists oppose the move.

Villagers of Halanayakanahalli off Sarjapura Road brought their cattle to a protest against the closure of the veterinary hospital in their village. It’s one among 28 such hospitals that have been shut down in Bengaluru Urban and Bengaluru Rural districts.

The Animal Husbandry Department recently proposed to “relocate” hospitals from districts where the hospital-to-cattle ratio was good to districts where it was poor.

The Department said since there was a huge demand for new veterinary hospitals across the State, there was no proposal to open any new hospitals.

The villagers who herded their cattle, including buffaloes and cows, to the building that housed the veterinary hospital until recently said they would intensify the protest and block Sarjapura Road with their cattle if the hospital was not reopened by Tuesday. The hospital served 17 villagers around the area.

“The Department claims the survey showed there were not enough cattle in the area, which is blatantly false. If the hospital is not reopened, we will intensify protests from Tuesday,” said H.S. Gaurav, an advocate and social activist who led the protest.

The closure of the Veterinary Hospital, Jayanagar, has also drawn criticism from pet lovers and animal rights activists in the city. The Jayanagar Canine Squad, a voluntary organisation working on rescuing and treating accident-prone stray dogs, had written to K. Venkatesh, Minister for Animal Husbandry, taking objection to the proposal to shut down the Veterinary Hospital, Jayanagar. “Our fears have turned real, and despite our appeals to the Minister, the hospital has been shut down,” said C.N. Kumar, an activist who had been lobbying hard against closure of the hospital.