Gr Noida starts weekly meets to clear dog feeding disputes

Disputes over stray dogs and their feeding in housing societies, some of which have escalated into conflicts requiring intervention by authorities, have prompted the Greater Noida authority to begin weekly meetings involving residents, dog feeders, police and animal welfare officials to work out society-specific solutions, officials said

Disputes over stray dogs and their feeding in housing societies, some of which have escalated into conflicts requiring intervention by authorities, have prompted the Greater Noida authority to begin weekly meetings involving residents, dog feeders, police and animal welfare officials to work out society-specific solutions, officials said.

The meetings focus on identifying designated dog-feeding points through discussions with residents and feeders, while also explaining the provisions of the Animal Birth Control Rule. (HT Photos)

The meetings, held every Thursday, focus on identifying designated dog-feeding points through discussions with residents and feeders, while also explaining the provisions of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules.

“The move follows recurring complaints from housing societies over stray dogs and disagreements around feeding locations. In some cases, differences between residents and people feeding the dogs have escalated into disputes requiring intervention by authorities,” said Greater Noida additional CEO Srilakshmi VS in a statement.

The first meeting was held on July 23, with three societies -- Saviour Greenarch, Parsvnath Panorama and Mahagun Mywoods -- participating so far.

Representatives of the societies, estate managers and dog feeders are attending the meetings along with officials from the animal husbandry department, police, Greater Noida authority and the District Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Representatives of HCL Foundation and the authority’s veterinary officials are also part of the discussions, officials said.

“Through these meetings, we hope to help societies identify and finalise dog-feeding points through mutual consent. The discussions will also provide an opportunity for the different stakeholders to raise their concerns and work towards resolving disputes related to stray dogs and their feeding,” she said.

The meetings are also being used to explain the ABC rules to residents, feeders and other stakeholders, officials said.

However, the Federation of Residents Welfare Associations (FORWA), Greater Noida, said it had not received information about the new meeting schedule and questioned the lack of regular consultation with RWAs.

“We have not been informed about these weekly meetings or the schedule of meetings with societies by the authority so far. Earlier, joint meetings involving representatives of all RWAs in Greater Noida and senior authority officials, including the CEO, ACEO and DGM-level officers, used to be held roughly every four months. Those meetings have now stopped,” said Devendra Tiger, president of FORWA, Greater Noida.

“We had repeatedly requested that the authority hold a joint meeting with the federation because it is more practical and saves time for both the officials and individual RWAs, but no such regular meeting has taken place. There was a meeting recently in which five federation representatives were called, but we have not seen much action on the ground since then,” he added.

Tiger said stray dogs and the manner and location of feeding remained a significant source of friction in several areas.

“The stray dog issue is a major problem in many areas, particularly because dogs are often fed at random locations and sometimes a large number of dogs congregate around a particular house or spot. This creates conflict between residents and those feeding the dogs. In my own area in Beta 1, we have seen disputes over such issues and even police intervention,” he said.

“There needs to be a proper system for feeding points and, more importantly, regular consultation with RWAs so that decisions are actually implemented on the ground,” said another Greater Noida resident, Brijesh Bhati.

The next meeting is scheduled for August 13 with Himalaya Pride Society in Techzone-4, at the Greater Noida Authority office. It will be followed by meetings with Jaypee Greens on August 20 and YSS City in Sector 1 on August 27.

Meetings with other societies, including AIG Park Avenue in Gaur City 1, ATS Green Paradiso in Chi-4, Amrapali Golf Homes in Sector 4 and NTPC Anandam Society in Sector P-3, have been scheduled through September, with the exercise continuing across several residential projects until December 31.