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Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
HC notice to govt on PIL against tender for stray birth control plan
Chennai: Madras high court has directed the central and state animal welfare boards to respond to a public interest writ petition filed by an animal welfare activist seeking a stay on the tender issued for implementing animal birth control (ABC) for stray dogs. The issue pertains to an instruction issued by the Tamil Nadu govt directing the authorities to take swift action to implement measures for controlling the stray dog population. Following the instruction, a tender worth 5.2 crore was floated in Chennai for implanting microchips in stray and pet dogs to help identify them. According to the petitioner, S Muralidharan, a petition challenging the ABC regulations is already pending in court. Therefore, the govt's move to issue a tender while that case is still pending is against the law. "The ABC Rules, 2023, are already prima facie shown to be ultra vires to the parent Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and contrary to binding judgments, including the constitutional bench judgment of the Supreme Court," he said. He further alleged that the rule mandating the return of the dogs, particularly aggressive dogs, to the same public space would violate the rights of the citizens provided under Article 21 of the Constitution. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo "It would be a financial drain on the exchequer with a failed model that has not yielded results over the past 24 years," he added. Admitting the plea, a vacation bench of Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy and Justice T V Tamilselvi directed the central and state animal welfare boards, as well as the state animal husbandry department, to submit their responses by June 20.
New Indian Express
07-05-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Kerala to roll out mobile ABC unit to tackle infrastructure gaps, public resistance
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a first-of-its-kind initiative to address the challenges in managing the stray dog population, the state government is all set to roll out a mobile ABC Unit. The move comes in the wake of mounting infrastructure challenges and growing public resistance that have left several ABC centres non-operational in the state. Minister for Animal Husbandry J Chinchu Rani told TNIE that the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has approved the project and the first mobile ABC unit will begin operations immediately. She said that the project would be piloted in Thiruvananthapuram district. 'One of the main challenges we are facing now is lack of ABC centres and the Centre has made the ABC rules more strict making it difficult for implementing such projects. We met the AWBI members and the mobile ABC unit is more cost-effective compared to static ABC centres. The officials were impressed and approved the design,' said J Chinchu Rani. It is learned that four districts in the state lack ABC centres and the Animal Husbandry Department is planning to expand the mobile unit across the state. For setting up an ABC centre as per ABC Rules, the cost will go up to Rs 2 crore. The mobile ABC Unit is being implemented using CSR funds and costs around Rs 25 lakh. 'The Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL) has agreed to fund the project and the mobile unit can be mounted on a truck and stationed in any open space. The area will be cordoned off temporarily and army tends will be used to keep the dogs after sterilization. As per rules, the dog should be given care for the next five days before releasing it at the spot from where it was caught,' said an official of the animal husbandry department. The mobile units will move around in the district and will station at a location for a maximum of 15 days before moving to a new area. 'This innovative approach is designed to overcome both logistical challenges and public concerns.
New Indian Express
06-05-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
Kerala: Amid deaths, zero sterilisation in four districts cause for concern
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The recent rabies deaths in Kerala have sparked concerns across the state. However, even more troubling is the poor progress in sterilising stray dogs and rabies vaccination coverage in many districts. Data from the animal husbandry department for the 2024-25 fiscal, the latest, reveals that four districts – Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Idukki and Wayanad – recorded zero sterilisations of stray dogs. Kerala reported around 3.17 lakh dog-bite cases in 2024. Despite the worryingly high number of cases, local bodies across the state are struggling with gaps in infrastructure, stiff resistance from the public against Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres and strict rules and regulations in the ABC Rules to manage the growing stray dog population in the state. As per the data, 15,767 dogs were sterilised and 88,744 dogs vaccinated last year. Animal Husbandry Minister J Chinchu Rani told TNIE that sterilisation was the only practical solution to address the crisis. 'The stiff mandates in ABC Rules are a huge handicap for us. We met the Animal Welfare Board of India and the authorities concerned at the Centre for relaxations. They have agreed to authorise our centres,' she said. Sources said Kerala has around 15 ABC centres, while work on another 15 is nearing completion. Moreover, land to set up five more centres has been identified. 'We are facing stiff resistance from the public. It's a real issue. We are bound to comply with the ABC Rules and, as per rules, after vaccination and sterilisation, we have to release the dogs from where they are caught,' said LSGD Minister M B Rajesh. He said some districts are faring better than other, but there are districts where lack of infrastructure is a real issue. Meanwhile, in the wake of the rabies deaths this year, the animal husbandry department is planning to come up with an advisory to intensify dog vaccinations in the state. 'The vaccination drive will be intensified immediately. We will be issuing strict directives to scale up vaccination of stray dogs. There is lack of consistency in the efforts because of other responsibilities,' Chinchu Rani said.
The Hindu
24-04-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
GCC catches three stray dogs at IMH after two residents are bitten
After two residents of the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) were bitten by stray dogs, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) on Thursday deployed two teams of dog-catchers and caught three dogs. A veterinary official from the GCC said, 'Two individuals at the IMH were reported to have been bitten at the hospital on Wednesday. After the GCC was apprised of the incident, two teams of dog-catchers — ten personnel in total — caught three dogs for observation on Thursday. Two of these animals were found to be unsterilised.' The dogs will be kept under observation for a minimum of 10 days. If any sign of aggression or illness is detected, the hospital would be notified, he added. Hospital authorities said that the bites were not severe, and the two residents had been treated. The problem, however, is far from over as official sources contended that the campus had been facing a stray dog menace for the past few years. There are at least 45 to 60 dogs on the campus, and many post graduate medical students are scared to make rounds to wards after 6 p.m., they added. Dean of the Madras Medical College and the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital had taken up the issue with the GCC after students made a representation. The institute's director had also taken up the issue. In accordance with the rules, the GCC sterilises the animals and releases them back at the IMH. 'The IMH is a huge area, and catching dogs is a challenge. We are vaccinating dogs against rabies in a phased manner. Last month, nearly 30 dogs were vaccinated. This is a continuous process. The GCC has also been sterilising the dogs,' a doctor added. When asked if any drive to sterilise the dogs was done at the hospital, the GCC official said that some of the dogs had been sterilised a few weeks earlier and were released at the same area in accordance with the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023. 'No guidelines' On concerns about the presence of dogs near the hospital, the GCC official said: 'There are no guidelines under the ABC Rules that specify against dogs being in the vicinity of hospitals....' A special anti-rabies vaccination and sterilisation drive has been scheduled in the locality over the weekend, he added. 'As the IMH is a hospital campus, the GCC should consider relocating the dogs,' an official source said. The GCC officials, however, said that nothing else could be done as a decision on whether the IMH should be considered a community or a hospital campus was beyond their scope. 'There are stray dogs on many hospital campuses. This requires a decision by the court or legislature,' another source said.
