Activists miffed over govt vet hospital land being given to KSIC

Animal rights activists are enraged by the government’s decision to turn a part of the Superspecialty Veterinary Hospital on Queens Road to a Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation (KSIC) showroom. The order for the same was passed in November 2023, they say. 

On Monday, The C J Memorial Trust, an animal welfare organisation, started an online petition to reverse the order. It had received over 1,300 signatures at the time of going to print.

The hospital, which occupies over three acres of land, was set up in the early 1900s. The property was bifurcated years later when the government constructed Queens Road, which cuts across the premises. “The part of the hospital, which is owned by the Animal Husbandry Veterinary Services (AHVS) department, that is being offered to the KSIC is currently unused. It is located across the road from the main hospital,” says Dr Ajay Nagabhushan, secretary to government, AHVS. 

According to Dr Venkatesh H P, secretary to K Venkatesh, the Minister of Animal Husbandry and Sericulture, “The property that is being given to KSIC is spread across 9,500 sq ft. It is not part of the hospital though it belongs to AHVS.” However, animal rights activists are questioning why it is not being utilised for setting up better healthcare services for animals. “This is an ongoing trend. Land dedicated for animal welfare is being sold off or being converted into commercial properties. Earlier this year, a large number of animal clinics and
hospitals were shut down,” says Priya Chetty Rajagopal, founder, C J Memorial Trust. 

The property is ideal for a multi-speciality hospital, to attend to both small and large animals, through a public-private partnership model, believes Sujaya Jagadish, member of Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Bengaluru Urban. “The government will be doing a favour to the thus far neglected health and welfare of animals,” she adds.

Neveena Kamath, an activist, says the animal birth control centre on the premises was brought down for metro construction and was merged with the main hospital. “They could have used that space to set up a dedicated Animal Birth Control centre. The hospital is in bad condition and needs some major improvements. The lack of sufficient healthcare in the city is taking a heavy toll on the animals,” she explains.