Recent transfers of veterinary doctors in the State Animal Husbandry department have caused problems for dog owners and those involved in animal husbandry in Dehradun and Haridwar districts as the number of Government vets in these districts has been reduced while the number of vets in the mountainous districts has been increased.
Interestingly, Government veterinary services are used mostly for cross bred cattle used in dairy and pedigreed dogs. The number of such animals is greater in the plains compared to the mountain regions but the number of vets has been decreased in areas where their services are needed more.
According to official sources, Dehradun district has about 4.40 lakh animals with Dehradun city having about 1.50 lakh animals which include cattle and pedigreed dogs. However, while there were 22 and eight vets in Dehradun district and city respectively in the past, now there are 14 and three vets in the district and city respectively.
Similarly, Haridwar district with about 5.7 lakh animals had 12 vets in the past but now has nine.
On the other hand, Tehri district with about 3.5 lakh animals had 27 vets in the past and now has 29 vets while the number of vets in Uttarkashi district with about 3.8 lakh animals has been increased from 28 to 30.
Sources further reveal that vets have been removed from Guptkashi and the Kedarnath route. Primarily veterinary services are required for cross bred cattle and pedigreed dogs and the majority of these are in Dehradun and Haridwar districts.
The small number of animals in Bageshwar (2.5 lakh), Champawat (two lakh) and Rudraprayag (two lakh) are mainly desi cows or meat animals such as goats etc which are slaughtered on achieving maturity and veterinary services required for them are minimal. However, surprisingly, the authorities have decreased the number of vets in areas where their services are required more and increased the number of vets in areas where the need for their services is comparatively less.
Shortage of vets in Doon abetting quackery
The shortage of vets in Dehradun is abetting quackery in the State capital. Recently, animal rights activists discovered a class IV employee of the Animal Husbandry department posing as a veterinary doctor at Tyagi Road where he was found to have treated a dairy cow for complications in the uterus. In a letter to the Uttarakhand Veterinary Council registrar, People for Animals, Uttarakhand member secretary Gauri Maulekhi informed that on inspecting a dairy at Tyagi Road, most of the cattle there were found to be in bad health, especially one cow which appeared to be close to death. “The dairy owner said that this cow was being treated for the last one month by a certain Dr Ramesh of the government veterinary clinic at Kanwali Road who often administers various injections to the cattle in the dairy. This person is a sanitation worker in the department and posing as a vet to make money.
He is preventing cattle in various dairies from being cured so that he can continue earning while posing as a vet,” said Maulekhi. The department, police and district administration have been informed about this case and requested to terminate Ramesh from service and register a case against him under Indian Veterinary Council Act and the Indian Penal Code.