Delhi dog menace: Authorities to catch, relocate 6k strays, bar NGOs from releasing them back, seek govt land for shelters; inside MCD's action plan
NEW DELHI: After the Supreme Court ordered civic authorities on Monday to immediately catch and relocate street dogs permanently to shelters, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi directed NGOs running Animal Birth Control (ABC) shelters not to release dogs back in the streets.
At present, the ABC shelters also have dogs taken from the Red Fort and its surroundings as part of the arrangements for Independence Day celebrations at the monument.
Saying that the court order would be implemented and around 6,000 community dogs, especially the aggressive ones, would be apprehended in the next six weeks, an official revealed, "We will ensure that dogs from different localities are kept separately, in addition to keeping male and female dogs separately."
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While MCD's deliberative wing has asked the veterinary department to submit a report on the capacity of ABC centres to hold dogs permanently and on the space required for creating kennels, the officials are awaiting instructions from the commissioner on the matter.
Yogesh Verma, member of the anti-rabies committee, stated that the court ruling has provided clarity on various debatable issues. "This includes holding aggressive dogs in shelters permanently or relocating them.
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Earlier, rules forced us to release the dogs from the locality they were caught in. This meant that even dogs that had attacked people were released after some in the same area," said Verma.
He added that once shelter arrangements are in place, each MCD zone will be given a target of capturing 1,000 dogs per month.
On Monday, MCD decided, in association with the RWAs and animal lovers, to identify feeding points for street dogs, revealed Verma.
However, with only 20 sterilisation centres operating, no sites identified yet for relocating the dogs and facing financial and manpower constraints, it would be a challenge for the civic body to catch all street canines. The sterilisation centres have space only for 10,000 dogs and even this is meant for keeping dogs for 4-10 days.
Keeping dogs permanently at the 20 ABC centres would reduce this capacity to 4,000 dogs.
VK Singh, former veterinary director in MCD, stated that till now, the ABC rules did not permit the holding of community dogs at shelters and, therefore, the civic authorities never paid heed to developing such facilities. "Now that the Supreme Court has directed their sheltering and relocation, Delhi govt and all the civic bodies will have to make a detailed plan to meet the requirements," said Singh. "This will need time, funds and manpower to implement.
It will be required to create dog shelters in every municipal zone to mitigate chances of dogs attacking each other. Separate wards for sterilised and unsterilised dogs also need to be created."
Satya Sharma, chairman, MCD standing committee, said the municipal corporation will approach Delhi govt to assign space at the 77 veterinary hospitals and dispensary sites for sheltering street dogs. "Meanwhile, we are identifying community halls and vacant buildings far from residential neighbourhoods where the caught dogs can be kept," said Sharma, adding that a survey of the ABC centres would be carried out to assess their functioning.
According to officials, 2-3 ABC centres are not operating efficiently.
MCD has also decided to make a helpline operational within one week for dog bites and rabies, with its teams required to respond within four hours to pick up the dog, sterilise it and hold it without releasing it. Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh said that regular consultation with animal activists would be undertaken in implementing the plan.
The New Delhi Municipal Council has no dog shelters as of now. It is running a sterilisation drive in partnership with two NGOs. "The court has given us seven weeks to act on its order. We will formulate a plan to establish relocation shelters, in addition to intensive sterilisation and vaccination of community dogs," said an NDMC official.
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