Mangaluru: With ‘conditions applied’, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries has given ‘green signal’ to the organizers of the ‘Kambala’, the traditional rural sport of coastal Karnataka involving buffaloes for racing on wetland.
A committee formed on lines of interim order by the high court had expressed the opinion that there is no violence in the programme and that the occasional instance of beating the animals are preventable by proper education, training and disqualification of entries with scar/injury marks”.
The district administrations of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi had decided to allow the sport with strict supervision of the game, on the lines of last year’s practice.
The department has stated the conditions under which the ‘Kambala’ could be held; however, it has warned of strict action if conditions were violated.
Following are the conditions:
*Organizers will have to give in writing that the ‘Kambala’ held would be non-violent and as per conditions stated.
*The animals used in the ‘Kambala’ cannot be treated in a non-violent way and cannot be whipped.
*Buffaloes have to be provided sufficient food and water on time.
*The Tahsildar and police have to be present when the ‘Kambala’ is held and have to see that the conditions were met.
*All proceedings of the ‘Kambala’ have to be recorded and the cost of the videography had to be borne by the organizers.
In a letter dated December 18, the Animal Welfare Board of India has requested the Chief Secretary to stop Kambala as the Karnataka High Court had dismissed writ petitions challenging orders of Deputy Commissioners of both the districts banning performance of Kambala in 2014-15.
The board, in its letter, said that with the dismissal of the petitions as “infructous”, would mean that orders by Udupi and Dakshina Kannada district administrations banning Kambala would prevail.
