100's pigs die in Taj city

Agra: Hundreds of pigs are said to have died in the last 15 days after consuming what has been described as polluted garbage in several slums here.

Piles of carcasses of the animals are rotting and there have been reports of dogs falling sick after consuming the flesh of the dead pigs.

As there has been no official explanation for the mass death of pigs, the pig owners, mostly Dalits engaged as cleaners with the Agra Municipal Corporation, have called it "Pig flu". "One reason why the pigs are dying is the poor quality or rather poisonous nature of garbage that piles up in every nook and corner of the city," says social activist Mahesh Dhakar.

The pigs have died due to cold and viral fever, say officials of the Nagar Nigam.

But the pig owners are angry and accusing the state's animal husbandry department of indifference and callous neglect. They want the government to compensate them.

In dozens of Dalit neighborhoods, over a hundred pigs have died. In Nunihai and other areas, the carcasses are turning into a health hazard. In the posh Karamyogi Enclave near Kamla Nagar, dozens of dead pigs have been rotting in the park for days and the whole area has been stinking, says Manoj Agarwal, a resident of the area.

This city, which boasts of the splendid Taj Mahal, has no doubt been identified as one of the dirtiest cities in India, but this could not have been an area of concern for the pigs that are always assured of full meals any time of the day, given the garbage. The reaction of the district authorities has so far been indifferent, as experts have said the problem would be over once the weather warms up.

"Had there been no pigs in Agra the whole city would have been submerged in human excreta and household garbage," according to Netra Pal Singh, a social worker and family counsellor, who last year organised the Public Reception To A Pig campaign for contribution to keeping the city clean.

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