Days after the Supreme Court directed authorities to round up stray dogs in Delhi-NCR owing to the growing incidents of attacks, the ripple effect seems to be spreading, with several states now moving to enforce similar measures amid outrage from animal lovers and protection groups.
The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the relocation of stray dogs in Delhi-NCR to shelters within eight weeks, igniting protests from animal rights groups who say the directive has the potential to backfire.
Despite objections to the stray dog relocation order for Delhi-NCR, at least two other states have so far shown intentions to follow suit over the removal of canines from the streets.
Rajasthan
The Rajasthan high court on Monday issued sweeping interim directions for tackling the stray animal menace on city roads and highways, citing rising incidents of attacks and fatalities.
Hearing a suo motu case on the issue, the Jodhpur bench of the high court directed all municipal bodies in Rajasthan to conduct special drives to remove stray dogs and other animals from public areas, while ensuring minimal physical harm to them, according to a PTI report.
The move follows a Supreme Court order passed earlier in the day, directing the removal of stray dogs from Delhi-NCR localities after repeated cases of dog bites.
Tamil Nadu
{{/usCountry}}The move follows a Supreme Court order passed earlier in the day, directing the removal of stray dogs from Delhi-NCR localities after repeated cases of dog bites.
Tamil Nadu
{{/usCountry}}The Madurai bench of the Madras high court also observed that the Supreme Court’s order on shifting stray dogs in Delhi-NCR to shelters must be implemented in Tamil Nadu as well, a senior counsel of the state government said on Wednesday on condition of anonymity.
“The court made oral comments that they will issue instructions to Tamil Nadu’s chief ecretary,” the senior counsel said, as reported by Hindustan Times earlier.
The comments were made while the court was disposing of a batch of petitions related to the stray cattle menace, which has been pending for four years. “The issue of stray dogs was clubbed with the case.”
Hindustan Times could not independently verify which judge had made the oral comments, and an order on the case was not released.
Uttar Pradesh
Following the Supreme Court’s order on Monday for Delhi-NCR, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmakers raised the issue in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council on Tuesday.
BJP MLCs Dinesh Kumar Goyal and Vijay Bahadur Pathak said in a notice, “The terror of stray dogs is increasing continuously in Uttar Pradesh. People are forced to live in the shadow of fear due to the attacks of stray dogs.
“Children and the elderly are afraid of leaving their homes. Municipal bodies and the health department are failing to deal with this complex problem. The efforts of the officials to address the issue are not effective. Residential societies in metropolitan cities are considered safe for residents. Now, the same residential societies have become the habitat of stray dogs,” the notice, cited in an earlier Hindustan Times report, further read.
Karnataka – Bengaluru
Bengaluru also planned similar action. However, the limited number of players in the animal welfare and related technology sectors has reportedly made it difficult for the city’s civic body to roll out new programmes, including stray dog management.
While the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is said to have developed projects to manage stray dogs and monitor vaccinations, none have taken off due to the unavailability of suitable companies to implement the plans, according to a Deccan Herald report.
The BBMP had also planned “microchipping” of dogs to store vaccination status and had finalised a vendor, but later found the vendor lacked the required expertise, the report said.
SC order for Delhi-NCR
Hearing a suo motu case over dog bites in the national capital on Monday, the Supreme Court ordered the picking up of all canines from the streets of Delhi-NCR within eight weeks, directing authorities to create shelters to house them and not release them back.
In a warning, the court said, “If any person or organisation comes in the way of picking up stray dogs, action will be taken.”
The order has left people divided, with one section backing the directive as a “relief” and another criticising it, warning that it could worsen human–dog conflict and is “illogical.”
The India wing of the American animal rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) termed the Supreme Court’s order to send all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR to shelters within eight weeks “impractical, illogical, and illegal.” PETA India said the forced removal of Delhi’s community dogs would create “chaos and suffering” for both the animals and residents.