Tanzania

CBEC

headache

Salaam

heart

How a Mumbaikar’s refusal to abandon his beloved 10-year-old dachshund inforced the Central Board of Excise and Customs to scrap a rule that allowed only those who had spent more than two years abroad to return to India with their pets.If you own a pet and often travel abroad, you owe a big thanks to Partho Mondal. A big, chunky bone for his dog, Zola, would also be in order.Mondal, a senior executive with an Indian petrochemical giant posted in Tanzania, and Zola, his 10-year-old Dachshund, have forced the Central Board of Excise and C u s t o m s () to amend its April 8 circular that allowed only those who had spent more than two years abroad to return to India with their pets.While the circular was aimed at professional breeders who brought dogs from foreign countries and turned them into pup-machines in India for a profit, it had become afor pet owners travelling abroad for shorter periods.Mondal, 54, in fact, put his life on the line to get the circular revised.Mondal, who was asked by doctors in India to return home for health reasons, refused to abandon Zola in Dar es, though he was returning just one-and-a-half years after being posted there. It was his spirited fight for Zola’s rights that eventually forced the CBEC to amend it rules, bringing relief to thousands of pet owners.A Mumbaitte, Mondal moved to Dar es Salaam on an assignment in January 2012. However, in May this year he was diagnosed with acondition and flew down to India for treatment. After a failed angioplasty, the doctors advised a bypass.Realising that the bypass and the post-operative care would take at least six months, he decided to return to India for good. Doctors told him he should not delay the big operation beyond a fortnight.But as Mondal began working on his relocation, he came across an April 8, 2013 circular stating that only if a person has completed two years abroad would he be allowed bring his pet back to India.Before this circular, under the Baggage Rules of 1998, a passenger was allowed to bring back two pets as baggage and all that was required was a health certificate from the country of the pet’s origin and its examination by the concerned quarantine officer. But the April 8 circular changed this.Mondal wrote to the customs detailing his plight and medical condition. He requested them to make an exception in his case. “There was no response to my letters. Sitting in a foreign country, I did not know what to do,” Mondal said.Then he found out that the April 8 circular came into effect following representations by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and former member of Parliament Maneka Gandhi.He wrote to Dr Chinny Krishna, vice-chairman of AWBI and Gandhi requesting help. He attached his medical papers with the letter.Gandhi responded to Mondal’s letter and wrote to the chief commissioner, customs, Mumbai, requesting that an exception be made for him. But her plea was turned down by the CBEC. By now, the 54-year-old heart patient in need of an urgent bypass had lost a month.Frustrated, he wrote to Gandhi and Dr Krishna in June, warning that he would not leave Tanzania without Zola even if that meant dying without receiving treatment for his ailing heart.“Zola has been with us for 10 years and she is our daughter. How can I leave my daughter all alone in a foreign country? I knew that I could not leave her with someone and go back months later to pick her up as once I leave I would have to surrender my work visa and re-entry would be impossible. Moreover, I don’t know anyone who can take care of Zola here. I made it clear that I would rather die for want of medical aid in Dar e Salaam than leave Zola behind,” said Mondal.This letter moved Gandhi and Dr Krishna, who the made a fresh representation to CBEC, this time seeking an amendment to the April 8 circular. CBEC agreed and a fresh circular --which allowed ‘reimport’ of pets -- was issued.The new circular states that ‘reimport’ of pets is allowed, provided the customs officials are able to establish that the animal was exported or sent from India to begin with.Dr Krishna said he was impressed by Mondal love for his pet. He explained that April 8 circular was brought in to put an end to breeders who would import animals on the pretext of bringing in pets. “There are enough breeds in the country. We do not need any new ones, especially the ones for whom the climate here is not conducive,” said Dr Krishna.Mondal is ecstatic. “I am still running around for paper work and have booked tickets for July 10. I hope I am able to finish all the paperwork by then,” he said.Animal welfare activists, who have been lobbying for the ban of rampant breeding, said the ban should be sensibly imposed. “We welcome the government’s import ban, but it should not harm genuine pet owners," said Nilesh Bhanage, founder of PAWS, an animal welfare organisation.