Amarinder Singh's Birds : PIL seeks transfer

Chandigarh, Mar 30 (UNI) A PIL seeking transfer to safer and proper place of 50 exotic birds, some of them imported, illegally kept by the former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh came up for preliminary consideration in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The former CM had earlier kept the birds at his New Moti Bagh Palace, Patiala and subsequently shifted them to Baradari before handing over the same to Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA), which is not a fit body to take care of these birds like pheasants and others from abroad, a PIL said yesterday.

The PIL, filed by Animal and Bird care foundation here through its president Balbir Garg, argued that Amarinder Singh had handed over these birds to PUDA since the amendments made in the wild life act barred the custody of birds and wild animals by any citizen.

He apparently wanted to avoid action against himself under section 38,39 and 40 of the act that the former chief minister chose to shift these birds.

However, it stressed that PUDA was not a Zoo authority under the law and could not be considered to be taking care of the animals in accordance with the law and transferring birds was an offence as well.

In a related issue, the PIL took up the matter of the death of some birds and animals at Chhabir zoo because they had eaten plastic which remains littered in the zoo in large quantity as revealed in the post mortem report.

The PIL sought steps to check this and to direct the authorities to take action against those responsible for the negligence.

After the preliminary hearing, the division bench of the Chief Justice Vijender Jain and Justice Rajive Bhalla issued notices to the respondents for July 27 when the matter would come up for further consideration.

UNI