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'Thoughtful response': Shashi Tharoor responds to SC ruling on stray dogs
"Thoughtful response to the problem that is affecting ordinary citizens in every city. We need to protect humans while being humane to dogs," Tharoor said.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has called for a rethink in how funds meant for stray dog management are used, suggesting they be channelled directly to credible animal welfare organisations rather than municipalities.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Tharoor said the challenge was not the absence of resources, but the reluctance or inability of local bodies to carry out sterilisation and sheltering efforts — even when they receive the necessary funding.
He said such allocations often go unspent or are not used where they are most needed. Instead, he proposed that money be given to NGOs and animal welfare groups with a proven record of running shelters and implementing the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme, arguing they were better positioned to deliver results.
Tharoor stressed the importance of balancing public safety with humane treatment of dogs, framing the Supreme Court’s recent intervention as a product of “understandable exasperation” over municipal inaction.
His comments come after the Supreme Court on August 11 described the surge in dog bite incidents as an “extremely grim” situation and ordered the permanent relocation of all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR “at the earliest.”
A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan also directed Delhi authorities to build shelters for around 5,000 canines within six to eight weeks, to be expanded in phases. The court warned that any obstruction in the relocation drive could invite contempt proceedings against individuals or organisations.
