BMC files FIR against six gaushalas

Mumbai: The BMC has registered cases against six city-based gaushalas whose owners failed to follow mandatory health norms for the treatment of cattle waste. The directives to the owners were part of a preventive move against the spread of leptospirosis, which has claimed two lives recently. An FIR has been filed under section 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and section 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life).

Apart from this, the civic body has also sent notices to 128 of the 326 cattle sheds in the city. Also, 59 of them have been prosecuted, confirmed the health department of the civic body. The action has been taken against those who have failed to adhere to norms laid by the health department to prevent spread of diseases like leptospirosis.

According to reports, a total of 23 cases of leptospirosis have been registered in the city till date, thus the cattle sheds are now under the scanner of the civic body. “Apart from the health department, the Solid Waste Management (SWM) has also issued 49 notices to the cattle sheds in these two months,” said Padmaja Keskar, BMC’s executive health officer.

There are 31,000 cows, buffaloes, goats and bulls lodged in these 326 cowsheds, all of which are part of the dairy business. Two important guidelines handed out by the BMC include - two oxytetracycline injections in a span of 10 days to cattle against four strains of leptospira, and the efficient disposal of cattle waste.

Well apart from sending notices to cattle sheds, the BMC is also intimating the pet owners of the city to get their pets vaccinated timely. Also, the insecticide department is claiming to have killed around 10,000 rodents till now.

This month alone, two men from the city, a vegetable vendor and an electrician lost their lives due to leptospirosis. Reportedly, they came in contact with the bacteria after passing through waterlogged streets and died due to multi-organ dysfunction.