Pet owners in the national Capital are miffed because the exemption given to vehicles used in medical emergencies during the ongoing odd-even experiment is not being extended to them. They accused the Delhi Traffic Police of issuing challans to them in contravention of the regulation.
While the Delhi Government has exempted vehicles being used in medical emergencies from the purview of the odd-even rule, it has not defined the nature of such emergencies.
Deepak Sharma, a resident of Yamuna Vihar in North-East Delhi, was fined `2,000 for flouting the odd-even rule while taking his critically-ill dog to a veterinary clinic. Even though it was a medical emergency, Sharma was prosecuted by traffic cops at the Yamuna Vihar traffic intersection for driving an odd-numbered car on an even date.
What made matters worse was the fact that the cops penalised him despite the fact that he was carrying the medical documents of his ailing pet, which he showed to the policemen who flagged him down.
“Even though I paid the challan, I felt cheated as I had not willingly flouted the rule. I had a genuine medical emergency on my hands as my pet Alsatian, who suffers from some stomach-related problems, was unconscious and the doctor had asked me to bring him over immediately,” Deepak said.
“If I had waited, my dog would have died. A medical emergency is a medical emergency, whether it is an animal or a person and pet owners should also be given exemption,” he fumed.
Deepak is not alone as other pet lovers in the city who have faced the same issue are also furious as there is no mention of animals in medical emergency situations in the Delhi Government’s order on the odd-even rule.
“Delhi Government should clearly lay down the rules for what can be considered a medical emergency. It is absolutely shameful that a man was slapped with a fine and the police ignored the fact that the dog was in a bad condition. If a human being in need of urgent medical treatment can be exempted, then even animals and pets should be treated the same way,” Friendicoes Vice-Chairperson Geeta Seshamani said.
“If the pet is sick or injured, will the authorities allow us to use the public transportIJ They may allow a person in the same condition to do so, but what about animalsIJ” she asked.
Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Muktesh Chander said that since the Delhi Government notification makes no mention of cases involving animals, such cases cannot be exempted and violators will have to pay the fine.
“The order has mentioned that people in medical emergency situations will be exempted. It does not apply to animals,” he added.