The proud fillies of the Capital will surely frown had they known that a Rs 1.80-crore project launched by the UK’s premier overseas equine charity ‘Brooke Hospital for Animals’ to start a hospital in Delhi, particularly for the care of horses, has been a non-starter for almost 16 years.

Brooke Charity, which cares for over 1,00,000 “working animals” like horses, donkeys and mules across India, had in 1992 decided to start an animal hospital here specialising in equine care. The charity firm had taken the decision as it was impressed by the Capital’s “large horse population”.

Brooke became the “guiding force” for formation of a public charitable trust christened after the parent organisation — ‘Brooke Hospital for Animals (India) Ltd’ — in February 1992. During the next five summers — from March 1992 to January 1997 — the UK organisation remitted funds worth Rs 1.80 crore to its Delhi counterpart on a specific condition to buy real estate “in and around Delhi” to build a hospital.

But over the years, the British charity saw its good turn for Delhi’s horses stumble to a stop. The hospital still remains a “desire” yet to bear fruit, and all that remains of the brainwave is an allegedly inaccessible “landlocked” plot bought for Rs 41,27,971 at Bhondsi village, in Gurgaon.

But, “the land is lying unutilized,” the charity said in its petition before the Delhi High Court. “There is no proper account of the remaining Rs 1.40 crore. The trustees have purchased land without taking into consideration the fact that animals are not brought to hospital at far-flung places, and a hospital has to be provided near a place frequented by animals,”

But Brooke is in no mood to give up. “Further money will have to be spent to make the land accessible for use as a hospital for animals,” the petition said.

The organisation, which is on a self-appointed mission to salvage the project from local trustees, told Justice Reva Khetrapal: “Huge funds were provided by us, and so many years have elapsed; but there is no hospital in existence.”

Finding that there was enough prima facie evidence against local trustees for “breach of trust”, Justice Khetrapal, in a recent judgment, gave the British organisation permission to initiate legal steps for removing the trustees.

About Brooke
As per its official website, Brooke is UK’s leading overseas equine welfare charity and aims to improve lives of horses, donkeys and mules working in “poorest parts of the world”. Brooke caters to over 1,00,000 horses, donkeys and mules across India.