Supreme Court has ordered all the street dogs in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) be rounded up within eight weeks and housed in dedicated dog shelters to set up by civics authorities, making it clear that no captured animal will be released back on the streets.
A bench of justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, hearing a petition registered on its own motion on the “alarming and disturbing” rise in stray dog attacks, ordered contempt proceedings against any individual or organisation that attempts to obstruct the authorities from carrying out the capture drive. The authorities of Delhi-NCR must set up a helpline so all dog bite complaints can be registered, with the offending animal picked up “within four hours” of a complaint.
“Round up all stray dogs from all localities, including localities on the outskirts of Delhi, and shift them to some other place…Whether sterilised or not sterilised, the society must feel free and safe. You should not have any stray dogs roaming around,” the bench said.
The court criticised the practice under the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules that mandates the release of sterilised dogs back into the same locality. The bench issued a series of binding directions to authorities in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram. “The Delhi government, MCD, NDMC, and authorities in Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram will start picking stray dogs from all localities, particularly vulnerable localities, and areas on the outskirts. How to do it is for them, and if they have to create a force, they should do that. The first step is to make localities free of stray dogs. There cannot be a compromise in this.”
It added that the Government of NCT of Delhi, MCD, NDMC, and appropriate authorities in Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram are directed to create dog shelters within eight weeks for 5,000 dogs.” These shelters must have personnel to sterilise and immunise the animals and “look after these dogs who will not be released back.” CCTV monitoring will ensure compliance, said the bench, emphasising that no dog should be released back in the street or public spaces.
The directions follow the court’s suo motu cognisance on July 28 after media reports on the death of six-year-old Chavi Sharma from rabies in Delhi’s Pooth Kalan area. She was bitten on June 30 by a rabid dog and succumbed on July 26 despite treatment.
However, animal lovers and NGOs all over the country are protesting against the Supreme Court order. Signature campaigns are in circulation against the order.
