THRISSUR: The promotional video of the Kerala Tourism Department to boost eco-tourism in Pathanamthitta district has led both the Forest and Tourism Departments into trouble.
The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has planned to send notice to both of them charging violations on provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, in shooting the video. The mandatory approval of the AWBI has not been gained before shooting the video, according to reports on Thursday.
The Kerala Tourism Department, according to AWBI sources, had applied for clearance before the film started, but the committee had rejected the application as it found that the compulsory ownership certificates of the pachyderms were not attached with the application.As per the Performing Animals Registration (PAR) Rules 2001, Section (7) 2, registration on animals was mandatory and the Tourism Department was informed about the rule, said AWBI assistant secretary S Vinod Kumar.He said Kerala Tourism Department had claimed that ownership certificate rule was not applicable in the case as the elephants used in the video were owned by the Forest Department. A letter from the Forest Department was also sent.But questions on whether such an exemption has been allowed in Wild Life Protection Act 1972 have not been answered yet, he said. An assurance was given by the Tourism Department that applications for ownership certificates have been filed before the Principal Chief conservator of Forest and Chief Wildlife Warden in Kerala and the certificates would be provided. However, releasing the video parading the elephants on YouTube on May 22 clearly indicated that shooting was completed before necessary documents had been obtained, he said.Though O P Kaler, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Bio-diversity Cell), who is in-charge of management of captive elephants in the state claimed that directions had been given for issuing ownership certificates to the elephants used in the film, Vinod Kumar said there was no point in submitting the copy of the OCs before the board after committing such a violation of PCA. According to state AWBI representative M N Jayachandran, the board has already filed a complaint with the District Police Chief, Pathanamthitta, seeking stringent legal action against the violators of PAR rules.