Plea against use of hormone injections

Chandigarh, May 22 (UNI) A public interest litigation(PIL) petition against the continued sale of Oxitocin injection which was being used to secure higher milk yield from cows and buffalos, came up for preliminary consideration in the Punjab and Haryana High Court today.

After the preliminary hearing, a division bench of the court comprising acting Chief Justice Harjit Singh Bedi and Justice Ranjit Singh Randhawa issued notices to the Union government as also to the states of Punjab and Haryana for August 17.

The petitioner, People for Animals (PFA) has alleged in the petition, through its counsel, that the mentioned injection had been ordered to be banned or withdrawn by the Union government as the same was considered to have harmful effects.

Not just the cows and buffalos, it was also being widely used by vegetable growers to gain a higher yield in terms of weight, as it was injected in the vegetables, the PIL stated.

It was submitted by the counsel for the petitioner that the use of this injection by Karnal-based National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) was detected in a sting operation which was televised.

A case has also been registered at Karnal in this connection. The petitioner, asking for stopping the sale of this harmful injection, also prayed for entrusting the probe to an independent agency.

UNI XC PS UNI XC PS PA DB2132