Victoria horse carriages on the focus of Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court wants the State government to file an affidavit within two weeks indicating the steps that have been taken for rehabilitation of the horses, owners and coachmen of Victoria horse carriages. This is a result of a public interest litigation filed by city-based NGO Animals and Birds Charitable Trust who have alleged that the animals are being subjected to cruelty by using them for joyrides.
This has been reported in thehindu.com dated 16 February 2017.

It is a long pending issue and, in June 2015, the High Court had given gave the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation one year’s time to ban the plying of the carriages in the city. The court had also directed the State government to frame a rehabilitation scheme on or before December 31, 2015.
The PIL wants that it be ensured by concerned authorities that the horse carriages that were not licensed under the provisions of the Bombay Public Conveyance Act, 1920, be stopped from plying in the city.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Kolkata gets air-conditioned horse drawn carriages

Kolkata is a city where something always keep happening and the latest in the list is an air-conditioned horse carriage. It is the brain child of an enterprising young man who wanted to ramp up the decor of his coaches with intricate wooden work, like the ones seen in Varanasi and Lucknow.
He located a craftsman to transform his coach, a Victorian-legacy , into a "royal landau carrier" and fitted it with a 0.75-tonne air conditioner thus converting an open carriage into an insulated, see-through coach. It was not an easy task but he succeeded and lets it out on hire.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 26 June 2016.

He charges Rs 10,000-15,000 a night depending on the distance. The cost includes the cost of a diesel generator and maintenance of the landau and AC. His cool carriage is much in demand during the marriage season - mostly in non-Bengali weddings.
He had spent over Rs 4 lakh on this landau and has plans to add another 3-4 more AC-fitted horse carriages.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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