Female foeticide: Notices to Haryana, Punjab, UT(TNN | Jul 13, 2011, 06.41am IST)

CHANDIGARH: Acting on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions to take appropriate steps to stop female foeticide, including registration of ultrasound machines meant for veterinary purposes in Punjab, Haryana and UT, Chandigarh, the Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday issued notices to both the states and the Chandigarh administration asking them to respond to the issues raised in the petition.

The notices were issued by a division bench headed by acting Chief Justice A K Goel while hearing thePIL filed by Girish Memorial Charitable Trust, through its general secretary Munish Nayyer.

The petitioner also sought directions to the governments concerned and the UT administration for strict maintenance of records of ultrasound machines, conducting inspections every three months as per rules and taking regular and consistent action against violators as per law considering the seriousness of the issue in view of the provisional census of 2011 indicating further decline in child sex ratio which has already reached an alarmingly low figure in many villages, towns and cities of the region.

Arguing before the bench, counsel for the petitioner, Ashwinie Bansal, informed the court that none of the scanning or imaging equipments capable of sex detection that are currently being used for veterinary purposes in various dairy and stud farms, veterinary polyclinics and veterinary hospitals are registered, except the one at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University and another at the Macro Dairy Ventures in Ludhiana in Punjab. He further argued that such ultrasound machines meant for veterinary purposes could also be used for human sex detection.

"At present, these scanning and imaging machines are not required to be compulsorily registered and no record whatsoever, of their use or misuse is being maintained in any form. It is important to note here that these machines and equipments are very much capable of carrying sex detection tests in humans also. Thus it is of utmost importance to keep track of such machines used in the veterinary sector as well," Bansal argued further.

It was also contended in the petition that complete records of pregnancies in the region are not being maintained and records maintained under Rule 9 of the PNDT Act are not being inspected in accordance with rules. Many times doctors, officers and officials who take appropriate action under PNDT Act are punished/discriminated against or threatened, it was stated.
SOURCE:  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Female-foeticide-Notices-to-Haryana-Punjab-UT/articleshow/9206082.cms