LAUDING ANIMAL LOVERS: Maneka Gandhi gives away Asia for Animals

[Guest guest]

Link: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/01/11/stories/2007011119260500.htm

 

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

 

Stop fighting and be united, Maneka Gandhi tells animal rights

activists

 

LAUDING ANIMAL LOVERS: Maneka Gandhi gives away " Asia for Animals "

award to

Syed Munir Hoda, Secretary to Chief Minister, in Chennai on

Wednesday. -

PHOTO: K.V. Srinivasan

 

CHENNAI : Animal rights activist and MP Maneka Gandhi on Monday made

a plea

to all animal rights groups to stop bad mouthing each other and

fighting

among themselves. She said it would be better if everyone united

under one

common body to raise funds and awareness.

 

Speaking at the inaugural session of the Fourth International " Asia

for

Animals " conference in Chennai, Ms. Gandhi pointed out that most

animal

rights group were fighting to try and prevent the other groups from

receiving funds.

 

`There is no cake'

 

" It is as if they are fighting for a piece of cake and they could get

more

if it was denied to someone else. But the truth is there is no cake. "

 

Ms. Gandhi also appealed to the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI)

to

treat animal welfare groups with less suspicion with respect to

devolution

of funds.

 

She made a fervent plea to AWBI chairman Gen. R.M.Kharb, who was

present at

the conference, to issue identity cards to recognised animal welfare

groups.

 

" It is of an immense help to prevent illegal trafficking of animals

and to

carry out raids, " she pointed out.

 

Later, during an interaction with the media, Ms. Gandhi termed " anti-

people "

the order of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday

lifting

an earlier order banning `jallikattu,' `rekla race' and other such

rural

sports involving animals. " The order is very disappointing and not

just

because it concerns cruelty to animals. `Jallikattu' is a cruel sport

and

nearly 20 people die every year, " She said, adding that animal welfare

groups would consider challenging the order in a higher court.

 

The conference organisers also gave away award citations to

individuals, who

have supported the animal rights movement over the years.

 

The recipients for this year included IAS officers M. Abul Hassan and

Syed

Munir Hoda, IPS officer Sylendra Babu, journalist P. Opilli ( The

Hindu )

and animal rights activist Umaa Unnathi.

 

S.Chinny Krishna, chairman, Blue Cross of India, Kim Bartlett,

publisher,

Animal People, Usha Sundaram, founder, Blue Cross of India and

several other

animal welfare activists from all over the world participated. The

four-day

conference will go on at GRT Convention Centre on Thyagaraja Road in

T.Nagar

till Friday and will move to C. P. Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation in

Alwarpet on

the concluding day.

 

© Copyright 2000 - 2006 The Hindu