MCD razes shanty near PVR Saket; 80-year-old woman, her dogs left homeless

On Tuesday, Pawan Kumar, who helps her run the dog shelter, said MCD demolition teams came to the area on Monday around noon and started demolishing the shanty

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Monday demolished a shanty in south Delhi’s Saket, where 80-year-old Pratima Devi has been running a shelter for around 250 community and abandoned dogs for around three decades.

Dogs and their octogenarian caretaker, Pratima Devi, in New Delhi on Tuesday. (ANI)

Devi, popularly known as ‘Amma’, moved from Nandigram in West Bengal to Delhi in 1984, and started the dog shelter in her shanty located near the PVR movie hall in the Anupam market complex. She works as a waste-picker to make ends meet, but has stated that she earns only to look after the hundreds of dogs whom she feeds and cares for.

On Tuesday, Pawan Kumar, who helps her run the dog shelter, said MCD demolition teams came to the area on Monday around noon and started demolishing the shanty. “We were not provided any prior warning. Amma ji has been ill and is now forced to live in the open. We appeal to everyone to help us rebuild the shelter,” he said.

Devi said MCD workers demolished her shanty and confiscated all material that they used. “I have been working to help dogs in Delhi from 1984 onwards. MCD officials have been harassing us,” she said.

A senior municipal official said the demolition was part of a routine encroachment removal drive as the shanty was illegally built on public land. “We have also asked the district administration to help in the rehabilitation of any affected through Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB). We also appeal to animal NGOs to come forward and facilitate the adoption of the dogs by citizens.”

The official added, “The MCD veterinary department has sterilized all these dogs and they do not pose any threat. In case there are any personal belongings that have been confiscated during the drive, they will be released back.”

According to Devi and Kumar, the number of dogs at the shelter swelled after the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic as many owners abandoned their pets. “After the lockdown and Covid pandemic, a lot of people have been leaving dogs near our shelters and we take care of around 250 dogs,” Devi said.

This is not the first time Devi’s shelter has been demolished -- in November 2017, the makeshift structure was razed by the erstwhile South MCD, but Devi, with the help of animal lovers salvaged the rubble and restarted operations.

Delhi BJP Spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor has condemned the MCD for demolishing the jhuggi tent of Amma in Saket who was running as a dog shelter for around 200 homeless dogs. During Covid, Amma gave shelter to many per dogs left out by their owners.

Kapoor said, “The demolition of this Amma’s Dog shelter tent during cold is an immoral act. It has not only forced Amma to live under open sky but has also left hundreds of dogs unprotected, and hurt sentiments of dog lovers.”

He urged MCD commissioner Gyanesh Bharti to allow Amma’s tent in Saket, or at least provide her alternative place in vicinity.