![\"Sky](\"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/sky-news-logo-1.png\"){kind=logo}
<\/a> news.sky.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New York City is to end horse carriage rides through Central Park following the “tragic and preventable” death of a teenager earlier this year.<\/p>\n
The City Council is expected to approve a bill next week that would end the rides – which have been going for more than 150 years – by 2028.<\/p>\n
Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed the news on X on Wednesday, saying, “The horse carriage industry is coming to an end in New York City.”<\/p>\n
The move comes after decades of campaigning by animal welfare activists and the death of an 18-year-old tourist from India in June.<\/p>\n
Romanch Mahajan died after jumping from a runaway horse carriage during a ride with family members.<\/p>\n
His death appeared to be the first fatality in a horse carriage accident since they were introduced in Central Park.<\/p>\n
It reignited the debate over whether carriages, a romantic throwback to the city’s past, have a place in a modern metropolis.<\/p>\n
His father, Deepak Mahajan, told city council members on a video call during a hearing for the bill in the summer that they are “shattered”.<\/p>\n
“The pain does not go away,” he said, adding, “Every morning we wake up and think of nothing but the loss of our son.”<\/p>\n
He said Romanch leapt from the carriage to try to help his mother, who was thrown from her seat after the horse bolted.<\/p>\n
In the past, horses have collapsed, gotten startled and run off, hitting cars or other objects, with each accident resulting in fresh calls for a ban.<\/p>\n
Council speaker Julie Menin said in a statement: “The tragic and preventable death of 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan made clear that the status quo is no longer acceptable… this tradition has become a growing public safety liability.”<\/p>\n
Horse carriage rides have appeared in several films and TV shows, including Home Alone 2: Lost In New York.<\/p>\n
Conor McHugh, a longtime carriage driver, told the council earlier this year a horse and carriage ride in the city is “one of the most iconic things to do in New York City”.<\/p>\n
The proposal tasks the mayor with developing a workforce transition plan for drivers and allows for the chance of compensation for industry workers.<\/p>\n
Carriage owners could not sell their horses off for slaughter, as horses must be disposed of in a “humane manner”.<\/p>\n
Source: \u00a0<\/a> news.sky.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"