Old challenges haunt SC’s new dog order

The Supreme Court on Friday may have changed its earlier order on stray dogs this week, directing civic agencies to follow Animal Birth Control (ABC) rules and release sterilised and vaccinated dogs back into their localities, but for Delhi, the challenges remain the same.

- Jasjeev Gandhiok

Crumbling ABC centres, staff shortages in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), and poor waste management continue to remain a deterrent to the entire exercise, and these would have to be fixed if the latest order has to be made a success.

HT's spot checks at seven of the Capital's 20 ABC centres on August 12 had revealed minimal space, inadequate resources and pending payments from government agencies, underscoring the systemic shortcomings in the very infrastructure tasked with implementing the court's directions. These facilities, run largely by NGOs, are struggling to keep pace even as the city grapples with repeated court deadlines and mounting citizen complaints.

Geeta Seshamani, vice-president of Friendicoes, an animal welfare NGO which operates three ABC units in Delhi, has long flagged the problems of untimely payments from MCD and lack of space and resources.

“We have been operating without reimbursement at all centres for the last six months. At our Defence Colony centre, around 500-550 dogs are sterilised every month, but the pressure is constant and the resources thin,” she had said.

An April 2023 report prepared by Ahimsa Fellowship project fellows advocate Shaalini Agrawal and Khushbu Sainani had already flagged several issues at these centres.

It documented how the majority did not have adequate veterinary officers, that dogs were often detained for longer than required even after sterilisation, and were not being tagged before release. The report also noted poor segregation of animals, overcrowded kennels, and the continued use of loop-and-pole catchers, which can cause injuries or strangulation.