Dear Gen Kharb,
‘Sterilized and vaccinated dogs cannot be dislocated’, is the title of the interview (see attachment). Sadly the NDMC seems to disagree, or perhaps believes that public servants are above the law and can perpetrate cruelty on helpless animals at will without any consequences.
On Friday, 30 September 2011, two sterilized and vaccinated dogs, both gentle and friendly, one from Humayun Road near the NDMC office, and the other from Pandara Road, were picked up on the orders of Dr Dinesh Yadav on a complaint from an NDMC staffer, Raghubir, and taken to Friendicoes. Fortunately Friendicoes recognized the Pandara Road dog as one that is under the care of Ms Shipra Biswas and Mrs Mandy Seth. They were informed immediately and he was collected and restored to his home. The second dog, Lucy, who is under the care of Mrs Kaur and Mrs Seth was not recognized, but very sensibly Friendicoes vaccinated her and advised the NDMC driver to return her to where he had found her as she was already sterilized, which he did the next evening, that is, 01 October. However, since then there has been no sign of Lucy, and it’s been six days now. Witnesses say she was released in the presence of the complainant, NDMC staffer Raghubir, but that was the last anyone saw of her. Although search parties have been out looking for the poor traumatised dog there is no sign of her anywhere.
When Ms Kaur who’s been feeding Lucy and other dogs in the area for years, asked Dr Yadav by which legal authority he had had the dogs removed, he replied that they were biters and had been removed on a complaint – an illegal act in any case since even biters if they are sterilized and vaccinated cannot be displaced. But when I too asked Dr Yadav the same question later, he said they were taken away to be vaccinated. Is this the protocol for ARV, to cruelly catch an already vaccinated dog, throw it into a van, take it to an NGO, have it vaccinated, and then bring it back a day later in a completely traumatized state? I don’t think so. Surely if sterilized dogs need to be vaccinated it can be done right there on the spot. Dr Yadav has the telephone numbers of most animal welfare people here, including Mr Hiranmay Karlekar. Why didn’t he call one of us when he is perfectly aware all these dogs are under our care?
As an animal lover and concerned citizen, and on behalf of others like myself in this area and elsewhere I would like some answers. Are only private, ordinary citizens like myself, Mrs Kaur, Mrs Seth subject to the laws of this country? Are public servants, be they self-important VIPs, municipal councillors, corporation staff, bureaucrats, politicians not subject to the same laws? If they are, then should not Dr Yadav and NDMC be prosecuted under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (Section 11), and the Indian Penal Code (Sections 428 & 429) for breaking the law by ordering the removal of sterilized and vaccinated dogs even if they were biters, which these two dogs most definitely were not, traumatizing them to such an extent that one of them ran away? Lucy will not be able to survive outside her familiar territory. What the NDMC did to her was cruel beyond belief.
It seems all anyone has to do if they want a dog removed form their community is say it’s a biter and the NDMC, and MCD for that matter, will immediately respond by removing the dog even if it is sterilized, a clear violation of the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules 2001. Why should the corporations be allowed to get away with it? Why have they been allowed to get away with it for so long despite several complaints from animal lovers (please refer to Rishi Dev’s complaint of 02 September 2011 and Smita Joshi’s complaint of 22 September 2011 against the NDMC for the removal of 12 sterilized dogs from Sarojini Nagar)?
Finally, since in India, as per Ms Rama Devi’s comments in the attached interview, “the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) takes care of implementation of animal welfare laws in the country“, is it not the Board’s responsibility, then, to take legal action against all those, including municipalities (in this case NDMC and Dr Dinesh Yadav), government employees be they VIPs, and all others, who are in contravention of The Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001, which “forbid the dislocation of sterilized and vaccinated dogs from the territories they belong to”? The countless dislocated dogs of the city, many of whom have died horrible deaths as a result of dislocation, are owed an answer!
I’d appreciate it if the Board would keep me apprised of action taken on this complaint.
Thank you,
Sincerely,
Madhu Goyal
Hiranmay Karlekar