‘Civic bodies moving dogs to undisclosed locations’
Source: PTI | Last Updated 14:54(06/10/10)
New Delhi : Delhi’s civic authorities are dumping stray dogs on the outskirts of the city and have also committed brutalities against these canines. Animal rights activists have claimed that the authorities are clearing the city in the wake of the Commonwealth Games.
“Municipal authorities are catching sterilised dogs and dumping them at undisclosed locations,” said animal rights activist Javed Iqbal Shah. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) have been involved in clearing the city of the poor people, beggars and stray dogs.
Voluntary organisations and animal rights activists had collaborated with the civic agencies to pick up stray dogs for sterilisation. “The MCD and NDMC are just not bothered about the legal norms. They pick up dogs from the Games Village and dump them at undisclosed locations,” said Rukmini Sekhar, another activist. “Even sterilised dogs are being taken away by the authorities which is a criminal offence,” Sekhar said.
Citizen for Animal Rights, a voluntary animal rights group in the capital, has also pointed out cases of callousness by the MCD while moving homeless dogs. “Our activists have evidence of new stray dogs reappearing on the outskirts of Delhi. The authorities are randomly dislocating dogs in a hurry to clear the Games venues,” Rishi Dev of the group told IANS. The group has also written letters to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and the MCD, saying that the authorities are “breaching” their collaborations with NGOs involved in the work.
NGOs such as Friendicoes and Sonadi Charitable Trust help the civic agencies in providing shelter to dogs caught for sterilisation. “Stray dogs have resurfaced in localities where they were not present. But, we will make sure the dogs are brought to their own regions after sterilisation,” Palika Animal Birth Control Society head Dinesh Yadav said. Civic agencies pick up stray dogs for birth control and bring them back to the same location. There are nearly 200,000 stray dogs in the city of 13.7 million people
Hiranmay Karlekar