State talks about policy for all Victoria owners

Mumbai: The government of Maharashtra on Thursday informed Bombay high court that it had come up with a policy to rehabilitate Victoria horse carriage owners and drivers and according to this policy, the government resolution (GR) for which had been issued on June 16, Victoria owners and drivers would be eligible for a vendor license.

The Maharashtra government through an affidavit informed the division bench of chief justice Manjula Chellur and justice N.M. Jamdar about the policy.

According to the affidavit, under the approved policy, Victoria horse carriage owners and drivers were now eligible for a vendor license under “Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending Maharashtra Scheme)”. It was further mentioned in the official declaration that a sum of up to Rs 3 lakh would be provided to drivers and owners as financial help.

As far as the horses were concerned, the affidavit said that owners would be entitled either to sell their horses or give them to NGOs so that they would be taken care of. The affidavit read, “The state cabinet has instructed the animal husbandry department to frame a comprehensive policy to take care of the safety and health of horses in this process.”