Don't need to wipe out strays, says HC

THE Delhi High Court has said that municipal authorities are not expected to completely wipe out all stray animals - whether cattle, monkeys or dogs - from the streets in the national capital while dealing with a petition to "properly deal with" the issue.

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Justice C Hari Shankar was hearing a contempt plea alleging wilful disobedience, by the municipal authorities in complying with a 2019 High Court order on the stray animal menace issue. It said that the authorities' duty is to take 'concerted, sincere and optimum steps' to ensure that stray animals are rehabilitated and do not become a menace for the residents or traffic plying on the road.

"It cannot be expected that the municipal authorities can completely wipe out, from the roads and municipal areas of Delhi, all stray animals, whether cattle, monkeys, dogs or other animals," the order read.