Veterinary doctor suspended over death of 22 cows at shelter

Raipur, Aug 16 (PTI) Facing heat over recent deaths ofover 20 cows at a bovine shelter in Kanker district,Chhattisgarh government today suspended a veterinary doctorfor alleged dereliction of duty. "Veterinary Assistant Surgeon Dr K P Rai, who was in-charge of Dugakondal Veterinary Hospital, has been suspendedin connection with death of at least 22 cows at the state-aided Kamdhenu Gau Sewa centre at Karramad village inDurgkondal development block of the district," an officialhere said. "The action was taken based on a preliminary probereport in connection with the incident," he added. On Sunday, Kanker District Collector Shammi Abidi hadsaid that 22 cows had died at the shelter since August 1. As per the order issued by Animal Husbandry Departmenthere, Rai was suspended under the Chhattisgarh Civil Service(Conduct) Rules, 1965 for "failing to take preventive measuresand dereliction of duty in connection with the consistentsudden deaths of cows at the shelter home". The state government had already ordered a probe intothe death of cows, besides weekly inspection of all sheltersin the state following a controversy over the incident. A seven-member probe committee headed by the chairmanof Krishi Sthai Samiti, Zila Panchayat Kanker constituted toprobe the incident, has been asked to submit its report to thestate government within seven days, the official said. Prima facie, the administration found that negligenceon the part of shelter home management led to the incident. "However, the enquiry team will carry out itsinvestigation on various points, including aid to the shelterhome since 2012-13, its use, fodder for animals, veterinaryfacilities and other arrangements for the livestock at thecentre," he added. Meanwhile, on the direction of state’s AgricultureMinister Brijmohan Agrawal, the Director of VeterinaryServices has ordered constitution of committees at thedistrict level for inspection of cow shelter homes. As per the circular, the committees will submitinspection report of all the cow shelter homes in theirrespective areas within seven-day to higher authority. PTI TKPNP ZMNBAS