Delhi govt to draft policy on community dogs: CM

On Tuesday, a bench of justice Mini Pushkarna, concerned over increasing instances of dog bites in the Capital, directed the city government to formulate a policy for the “rehabilitation of community dogs at an institutional level” so that they can be gradually removed from the streets.

A day after the Delhi high court directed the city government to formulate a policy for the rehabilitation of community dogs, chief minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday said that the government is working on the same and will involve all stakeholders to find a long-term solution.

Presently, agencies follow the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, which prohibit relocation of community dogs, except for sterilisation and vaccination. (FILE)

“This is a problem for everyone — the public and the voiceless animals too. We are looking to create a platform which will cater to residents as well as those working for animals,” Gupta said while responding to a resident in her constituency during a public event.

“There are laws — dogs can’t be kept in shelters and they cannot be removed from their streets. We are searching for a long-term solution, one that causes neither residents nor animals any distress. It is a policy matter...,” she said.

On Tuesday, a bench of justice Mini Pushkarna, concerned over increasing instances of dog bites in the Capital, directed the city government to formulate a policy for the “rehabilitation of community dogs at an institutional level” so that they can be gradually removed from the streets.

“A policy decision must be taken by stakeholders to ensure community dogs are rehabilitated and phased out from public roads and streets,” the court had said.

The direction, however, experts said could be in contradiction to the law.

Presently, agencies follow the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, which prohibit relocation of community dogs, except for sterilisation and vaccination. A dog cannot be removed from any area in the city, barring for sterilisation purposes, the rules state. Once treated, dogs must be returned to their original locality. A detailed register needs to be maintained for each dog, and it needs to be released at the same place or locality from where it was captured.

Animal rights activists say that forming a wider policy may not only be “legally untenable but also impractical.”

Instead, they called for the need to address larger issues in Delhi’s infrastructure and the ABC programme.

“This is a mature stand by the Delhi chief minister. While judicial or executive officers may seek short-term, quick fixes, no government in Delhi till date has worked on strategies to resolve the problem scientifically in the long run — beginning with proper implementation of ABC rules, designating feeding points, more funds and proper awareness drives,” said Gauri Maulekhi, an activist and trustee at the People for Animals (PFA).

Sonya Ghosh, another animal activist, who has filed several pleas in the HC on community dogs, said the government needs to first focus on improving the existing veterinary hospitals.

“There are already 77 veterinary hospitals under the animal husbandry department, but none of these hospitals is being utilised for the ABC programme. Until sterilisation is done effectively, we cannot find a solution,” Ghosh said, who has also worked with the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) to designate feeding spots in the city. “This is also another challenge — residents resist the need to set up feeding points which leads to conflicts.”

Resident Welfare Associations too called for a balanced approach.

Atul Goyal, who heads URJA United RWAs Joint Action — a collective body of RWAs, said identifying designated feeding spots in each neighbourhood would be a good start.

“The issue of community dogs has become very divisive, with people on both sides. The problem has arisen because of lack of implementation of norms for sterilisation and feeding points. In case of an extremely aggressive dog, some kind of shelter home may be developed but this cannot be done for all dogs. We don’t want a society either where there are no dogs,” he said.

Other RWAs meanwhile advocated for mass sterilisation and vaccination. “This should be the top priority,” said BS Vohra, who heads East Delhi RWA joint front. “If a significant population is sterilised now, the impact will become visible 2-3 years. In many places in East Delhi, it has become impossible to step out alone during night due to packs of dogs, but relocation is not a solution,” he said.

Ashok Bhasin, who heads the North Delhi RWA, also said that the population of community dogs has increased significantly in north Delhi due to the alleged failure of the sterilisation drives by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. “MCD also picks up dogs from one site and drops them at some other locations 1-2km away. There should be a priority to vaccinate and neuter the dogs,” he said.

Sunayana Sibal, an animal activist, who has worked on the implementation of pet shop rules and ABC rules, said that ABC centres in Delhi are crumbling and require attention. “Unless the ABC program is implemented in its true earnest, this issue is bound to fester and flare up in a cyclical manner,” she said.