Chandigarh, July 11 (IANS) Clearing the way for the restart of bullock cart races in the famed Kila Raipur rural Olympics, the Punjab Assembly on Friday passed the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Punjab Amendment) Bill that not only enabled stricter penalties for animal cruelty but also allowed the resumption of traditional rural sports involving animals, subject to regulations.

The Bill revived the bullock cart race during the annual Kila Raipur Rural Olympics, a famed sporting event that showcases rural heritage. The bullock cart race had been discontinued following a Supreme Court ban amid animal welfare concerns.

The amended Bill brings clarity by allowing sports under a regulated framework that ensures animal safety and ethical treatment, drawing parallels from similar permissions granted for traditional sports like Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu.

Saying that like Tamil Nadu’s Jallikattu, the move to revive the traditional bullock cart races in Punjab is for those who treat their bullocks like family, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann asserted that these cultural sports are rooted in tradition and deserve recognition.

“We have added strict conditions in the Bill to prevent cruelty against animals during the races,” CM Mann said.

He recited couplets of Punjabi poet Sant Ram Udasi to underscore the cultural significance of the move, saying the Bill is aimed at promoting the rural ethos of Punjab.

“This legislation is not just for Kila Raipur, it will open the doors for such traditional races across the state,” CM Mann said.

The rural games have been organised annually since 1933 in Kila Raipur village in Ludhiana district, in which a large rural population participates.

The games are known all over the world, and the most popular of these sports is the bullock cart race, which was banned in 2014, post the Supreme Court’s order on the plea of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

–IANS

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