Only 16 jumbos to be showcased in Ahmedabad's Jagannath Rath Yatra

AHMEDABAD: This year's Jagannath Rath Yatra procession won't feature 18 elephants after trustees of the Jagannathji Temple Trust failed to get four jumbos from Assam forest department after protests from wildlife activists.
Mahendra Jha, a trust member, told journalists on Sunday that four of elephants - two male and two female - would not be part of this year’s procession.
“Three of the elephants died last year and one is ill. Thus, we had approached the owners of the elephants in Assam to get four jumbos. The Assam government cleared the proposal but the animal rights activists there filed a public interest litigation (PIL) against the transfer of elephants saying it would be an arduous journey for the jumbos due to heat wave conditions. Our lawyer appeared for the same and agreed that the transfer can take place after one or one-and-a-half months,” Jha said.
Jha said that the number of elephants thus would be around 16 in the procession.
“It’s not just the temple’s elephants - the akhada that takes part in the procession brings in the elephants. They have started arriving and we would be able to ascertain the number in a couple of days,” Jha added.
An MLA from Assam had raised the issue and had sought intervention of the Centre to stop the process.