New Delhi, May 19: The Supreme Court has expressed concern over the rising incidents of dog bites across the country. In this context, the court upheld its decision to remove stray dogs from public areas. It dismissed a petition from dog lovers seeking changes to the previous order regarding the removal of stray dogs from schools, colleges, hospitals, railway stations, and bus stands.
Animal rights activist Menka Gandhi responded to the court’s ruling, stating that the Supreme Court has conceded defeat. In its November 2022 order, the court had instructed the establishment of shelters, specifically ABC shelters, and summoned state secretaries for special directives. The court warned that action would be taken if shelters were not constructed, yet no progress has been made, and not a single shelter has been built. The Supreme Court has now suggested that petitioners approach the High Court.
Gandhi highlighted that while the Supreme Court mentioned there are 780 districts, it did not mandate the establishment of 780 ABC shelters, yet not one has been created. In Delhi, instead of opening shelters, 10 ABC shelters have been closed. She pointed out that in Ganganagar, there have been 1,080 reported dog bite cases, raising the question of why no ABC shelter has been opened there.
She noted that approximately 10,500 dogs die daily from hit-and-run incidents, emphasizing the need for answers to these pressing questions. Gandhi suggested that if the Supreme Court had threatened to suspend municipal commissioners in cities failing to open ABC shelters, the situation would have been different. She criticized the existence of only 16 trained NGOs across the country, questioning why so many fake NGOs are operating in 780 districts.
Gandhi referenced the 15-year effort to eradicate polio, which cost the government 700 crore rupees weekly, suggesting that a similar investment in dog welfare programs could yield significant results.
She proposed that each state should establish 780 ABC shelters and train 780 NGOs. Additionally, she recommended legislation to ensure that no NGO can hold more than one contract. She cited examples of NGOs in Chennai and Vasai Virar holding multiple contracts, many of which are illegal. By removing these illegal NGOs and providing training to legitimate ones, the system could improve significantly.
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