Highlighting the “appalling conditions and mismanagement” at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Sector 38-West, Chandigarh—the only government-run veterinary shelter in the UT—animal lovers and city-based volunteers claimed on Wednesday, citing RTI findings, that less than 1% of the shelter’s total annual budget is spent on medicines and hospital care for animals and 3% on food, despite being the primary focus of the centre.
At a press conference held on Wednesday, Sehjeevi, a registered charitable trust dedicated to animal welfare, claimed that the recent relocation of animals from the SPCA to the Chandigarh municipal corporation’s Raipur Kalan Animal Birth Control (ABC) Centre was poorly planned.
“The move, prompted by ongoing renovations at the SPCA facility, where animals, mainly dogs, continue to be in terrible conditions,” the trust said. While showing photos and videos, Sehjeevi’s executive director Nikki Latta Gill, said, “The plight of the animals worsened on April 29 when yet-to-start renovation work at SPCA-38W forced a sudden and ill-planned relocation of its shelter animals to the defunct Raipur Kalan centre, originally designed as a temporary neutering facility.” Gill claimed that dogs were crammed into kennels measuring around 4x3 feet, unable to walk and surrounded by filth and faeces.
“The ABC centre, originally intended for a 3–5 day stay post-neutering, now confines animals indefinitely, in direct violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960,” Gill added. Gill claimed that despite an annual budgetary grant of approximately ₹96 lakh for FY 2023-24 (as per the RTI records), the shelter has consistently failed to deliver. “Less than 1% of the funds were allocated to medicines and hospital care, 3% to food, while a whopping 96% of the annual grant went solely to staff salaries,” said Gill.
{{/usCountry}}“The ABC centre, originally intended for a 3–5 day stay post-neutering, now confines animals indefinitely, in direct violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960,” Gill added. Gill claimed that despite an annual budgetary grant of approximately ₹96 lakh for FY 2023-24 (as per the RTI records), the shelter has consistently failed to deliver. “Less than 1% of the funds were allocated to medicines and hospital care, 3% to food, while a whopping 96% of the annual grant went solely to staff salaries,” said Gill.
{{/usCountry}}MC joint commissioner Himanshu Gupta said, “The entire SPCA facility is being renovated and animals have been temporarily shifted to Raipur Kalan. We are closely monitoring facilities for the animals. Also, after receiving a request for making arrangements for walkable space for dogs inside Raipur Kalan, we have demarcated some areas and are fencing it to start the facility soon.” Animal lovers demanded relief measures and de-clubbing of SPCA operations and ABC programme.