Delhi High Court Urges Relocation Of Dairies Near Landfills, Citing Health Risks For Owners & Livestock

Dealing with a batch of petitions on the issue of "unhygienic dairies", a bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan reiterated that the court's concern is to ensure there are no dairies running near landfill sites, so that the next generation does not suffer from any infirmities and diseases due to poor quality of milk.

"We have sympathy for you (dairy owners). You people are living next to a sanitary landfill. Your life is also under threat like the life of your animals. You people must realise this and the government must accommodate you somewhere else if they cannot remove the mountain of garbage," the bench, also comprising Justice Manmeet PS Arora, orally said.

Earlier, the court had directed the shifting of the Bhalswa Dairy colony in view of the "inability" of authorities, including the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the city government, to take action to stop the milch cattle from feeding on garbage from the sanitary landfills near the Bhalswa and Ghazipur dairies, and also said cows cannot be allowed to graze on toxic waste.

The case deals with the condition of nine designated dairy colonies in Delhi -- Kakrola Dairy, Goela Dairy, Nangli Shakrawati Dairy, Jharoda Dairy, Bhalswa Dairy, Ghazipur Dairy, Shahbad Daulatpur Dairy, Madanpur Khadar Dairy and Masoodpur Dairy.

During the hearing, some dairy owners from Bhalswa, Ghazipur and Madanpur Khadar said they would either close down their respective establishments or shift to another location in eight weeks.

The court, which took exception to the construction of unauthorised commercial buildings on land allotted to certain dairy colonies as well as poor cleanliness, remarked that if the owners close the dairies or relocate, it would bring an end to the issue.

"We are trying to ensure that healthy milk is available in Delhi. We do not want the next generation to be sick, infirm and suffering from diseases. A lot of us are turning vegan," the bench said.

It also clarified that the dairy owners are free to take legal remedies for any action initiated for their eviction or demolition of any alleged encroachment.

The court also asked the Delhi Police to ensure that no harm is caused to the petitioner after her counsel said certain people from Madanpur Khadar attempted to approach her.

The court asked the lawyer appearing for the dairy owners from the area to caution them.

The matter would be heard next week.

Cause Title: Sunayana Sibal & Ors. v. Government of NCT Of Delhi & Ors.