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Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
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
Following a Supreme Court order, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) plans to apprehend and relocate approximately 6,000 street dogs, particularly aggressive ones, within six weeks. The MCD has directed Animal Birth Control (ABC) shelters to cease releasing dogs back onto the streets. 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." You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi 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. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like These Are The Most Beautiful Women In The World Undo 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. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Some Semblance Of Work In MCD House After Over 2 Yrs
New Delhi: After nearly two and a half years, Municipal Corporation of Delhi held a proper meeting of its house on Wednesday, with councillors discussing desilting concerns and inadequate arrangements in their respective areas. During the meeting, which lasted for nearly five hours, there were occasional disruptions, but the house functioned successfully. The majority of councillors stressed that officials should meet them individually, share the status plan for desilting major drains in their respective wards, understand the waterlogging points and appoint a nodal officer. Demands were also made for construction material at the zonal offices to fix the damaged drains and potholes, and funds for the councillors. Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh said over 100 councillors from four parties spoke on waterlogging, desilting and sanitation. "We did 70% desilting of 800 drains more than 4 feet deep and are coordinating with other departments so that big drains are cleaned on time," he said. "In certain zones, including Central and West, councillors complained about improper garbage collection. Those will be addressed." BJP councillor Yogesh Verma said checking mosquito breeding for 10 weeks, for 10 minutes won't solve the problem. He also questioned the public health department about insecticides arranged, coordination meetings with RWAs, and arrangements at hospitals. In reply, it was stated that 391 posts for anti-malaria inspectors, 279 for multi-task staff and 92 for malaria inspectors were vacant while insecticides were procured in sufficient quantity. Councillors also questioned insufficient staff and inadequate desilting of major drains, increasing the risk of waterlogging in residential areas. AAP councillor Sarika Chaudhary from Daryaganj said several important areas in her ward were inundated after every rain just because Barapullah nullah and connecting drains were not cleaned. AAP's Ashok Kumar Maanu of Tilak Nagar (West) said drains were totally choked and MCD was providing a machine just once a week. Amit Nagpal, BJP councillor from Pitampura (Northwest), said MCD needed to take precautionary steps for Covid. A private proposal for deferring user charges on the collection of garbage was placed by BJP councillors Satya Sharma, Yogesh Verma and Puneet Sharma, and it was approved. The proposal will now be forwarded to the commissioner, who will take the final call and bring it back before the house. "Several societies have been declared as zero waste colonies or extending full support. Further, a huge number of people in Delhi are not paying property tax but availing municipal services, so taking user charges from taxpayers is unfair," the proposal stated, suggesting formation of a committee to review the move.
