Ban continues on use of horses, mules on Kedarnath route due to virus outbreak

Rudraprayag, The ban imposed on Monday on the movement of horses and mules along the trek route to Kedarnath after 14 of them died of a viral infection in a span of just two days continued on Thursday even as Uttarakhand Animal Husbandry Minister Saurabh Bahuguna visited Sonpryag to take stock of the situation.

The local administration is planning to allow healthy equines to carry goods from Gaurikund to Kedarnath as a trial on Friday. If it is successful, the movement of healthy, uninfected equines can be regularised, official sources here said.

With no horses and mules operating on the route for several days, pilgrims are facing problems.

Only those fit enough to walk uphill are arriving at the temple. Those who cannot due to old age or injury are coming on Dandi-Kandi, a stretcher-like structure carried on the shoulders of two persons which is a prevalent mode of transport in the area.

A team of vets has tested more than 16,000 equine animals so far. The sick ones are being quarantined to stop the spread of the virus which is infectious.

However, no specific number of the quarantined animals has been given by the administration so far.

Bahuguna reached Sonprayag to take stock of the situation. He inspected the horse mules and animal management arrangements and facilities for the passengers.

He held a meeting with officials to review the situation and discuss measures to prevent the spread of the equine influenza virus.

At the meeting held at the GMVN Guest House in Rampur, Bahuguna said all the horses and mules which are deployed on the Yatra route should be regularly examined and immediate action should be taken if any sign of an infection is detected.

Kedarnath MLA Asha Nautiyal, Animal Husbandry Commissioner of Government of India Abhijit Mitra, Secretary Animal Husbandry BVRC Purushottam, Animal Husbandry Director Neeraj Singhal and other departmental officials attended the meeting.

Bahuguna said preventive measures suggested by the experts at the meeting should be implemented.

The minister also instructed Purushottam to immediately issue an SOP in this regard.

Dr J L Singh, Head of the Department of Veterinary Medicine, Pantnagar University, suggested that before sending the horses on the journey, they must be given adequate rest, timely medicine, warm water and 15 days' quarantine in case they are diagnosed with an infection.

Bahuguna also reviewed arrangements like passenger sheds, toilets and drinking water system for the pilgrims.

He interacted with pilgrims, traders and mule owners and listened to their problems.

Bahuguna directed the officials to keep all the arrangements related to the Yatra in perfect order.

Any kind of negligence in screening the virus will not be tolerated and the concerned officers and employees will be responsible for it, the minister said.

Four veterinary centres will be opened from Gaurikund to Kedarnath with deployment of 15 people at each of them including doctors, policemen and other staff who will continuously check the horses and mules moving on the Yatra route.

If negligence is found at any level, the superintendent of police should register an FIR against the concerned persons, Bahuguna said.

It was also decided that the horses and mules undergoing treatment at the quarantine centre would be treated free of cost by the Animal Husbandry Department.

For cattle owners who want to take their animals home, free treatment and fodder will be arranged by the department at 50 per cent subsidy, it was decided.

Bahuguna also announced that if a horse or mule dies during the Yatra, its owner will be given a compensation of ₹32,000 by the government.

He said all the horses and mules participating in the Yatra will also be insured by the government.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.