{gallery}jkmassculling{/gallery}
On Wed, 9/3/11, dr.rammehar kharb <rmkawbi@yahoo.co.in> wrote:
From: dr.rammehar kharb <rmkawbi@yahoo.co.in>
Subject: Fw: UNABATED POISON DRIVE BY SRINAGAR MUNICIPALTY – POST-SHOOT ORDERS.
To: “Omar Abdullah” <gupkar@gmail.com>
Cc: “Mr Khan Muhammad” <khan.muhd@gmail.com>, “hempande” <hempande@nic.in>, “asgarsamoon” <asgarsamoon@gmail.com>, “IAS CommissionerSheikh Mushtaq Ahmed” <commissioner@smcsite.org>, “Anjani Kumar Director(AW)” <anjani.moef@yahoo.com>, “JAVED SHAH” <javed0909@yahoo.co.in>, “awbi Board” <awbi@md3.vsnl.net.in>, “board gmail” <animalwelfareboard@gmail.com>
Date: Wednesday, 9 March, 2011, 2:20 PM
D.O. No. 57/2007-COAWBI
09th March, 2011
Hon’ble Chief Minister,
SUB.: BRUTAL AND PATENTLY UNLAWFUL DOG POISONING DRIVE BY SRINAGAR MUNICIPAL CORPORATION – CONTRARY TO INTERNATIONALLY ACCEPTED METHODS OF CONTROLLING STRAY CANINE POPULATION.
Please study the enclosed e-mail, which have been sent to Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) by several concerned citizens. The contents of these are very alarming.
It is indeed very sad that the Srinagar Municipal Corporation obdurately refuses to rely upon lawful and scientifically proven practices to keep street dog population and Rabies in check. Disregarding the method recommended by none other than the World Health Organization, which is accepted worldwide, and demonstrated to be effective – and unmindful of the law in this regard, and the public protest and agitation, the Srinagar Municipal Corporation, apparently, is resorting to mass poisoning of thousands of stray dogs in Srinagar’, as mentioned in the enclosed mails.
We request you to please intervene immediately to stop this mass killing by poisoning of innocent street dogs so that this misguided and barbaric practice is abandoned in favour of a humane and scientific method of Animal Birth Control for stray dogs to address the problem of their overpopulation and Rabies. This is also to inform you (again) that the Hon’ble Supreme Court had, on the 23rd of January, 2009, stayed the operation of culling of even dogs described as a ‘nuisance’, after hearing several senior counsel including the Solicitor General of India speak in favor of sterilization and anti rabies immunization of stray dogs, and against even random killing. We are enclosing herewith for your ready reference, a soft copy of the order passed by the Apex Court . We are also enclosing one news report on the subject, which was carried by the Hindustan Times edition circulated on 24th January, 2009 .
Please direct the State civic bodies to refrain from killing by poisoning of street dogs a practice that is at variance with the Central law on the subject of dog population control, i.e. the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001, enacted under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. The Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules provide for sterilization and anti-rabies vaccination of dogs to control dog population and eliminate rabies, and prohibits destruction of healthy strays. Relocation is not permitted either, and only incurably ill, mortally wounded, and rabid dogs can be euthanised / removed in the prescribed humane manner.
The State must appreciate that any nuisance that may be attributable to dogs can be controlled only if dog population is controlled through scientifically proven methods,
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demonstrated to be effective. It would also interest you to know that the ‘WHO EXPERT CONSULTATION ON RABIES’, published in the year 2005 under the WHO Technical Report Series, specifically notes that,
à dogs breed so prolifically that even the highest recorded removal rate – culling 15% – does not significantly impact their population, or reduce the spread of rabies ; and
à sterilization programmes systematically followed in several countries have shown encouraging results, with dog populations, and the number of human rabies cases, reducing. Due to a successful ABC programme in Chennai and Jaipur, there has been no incidence of Rabies there for the last three years.
On behalf of Animal Welfare Board of India, I reiterate and assure you that AWBI shall be glad to provide all necessary help and guidance for reducing and controlling stray dog population, and eliminating rabies, in a lawful, humane and scientific manner. We had conducted one training programme at Srinagar in this regard, for the vets associated with the Srinagar Municipal Corporation; and shall be glad to conduct it again, and render all other support for this purpose provided a MOU is signed by Municipal Corporation of Srinagar with AWBI as has been done by other Civic bodies in the country. I fail to understand as to why the Municipal Corporation of Srinagar is dragging its feet in entering into a MOU with Animal Welfare Board of India which was proposed more than two years back. I have informed to Dr. Ashgar Samoon, IAS, Divisional Commissioner Srinagar and Member AWBI that I can bring a team of experts (Vets / Paravets / Dog Catchers) with me to start a sustainable ABC programme in Srinagar as well as train your people at Srinagar to follow it up so as to address this issue (copy of my email to Dr. Ashgar Samoon, IAS is attached). I shall appreciate if you could please issue suitable directions to the concerned authorities at the earliest to address this issue of population control of street dogs in a humane and scientific manner as envisaged in Govt. of India in Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules 2001 as explained above and stop culling of street dogs by poisoning at Srinagar .
Yours Sincerely
(Dr. R.M. Kharb)
Maj. Gen. (Retd.), AVSM
Chairman, AWBI
Shri Omar Abdullah
Hon’ble Chief Minister
Govt. of Jammu and Kashmir ,
Srinagar, J&K
Copies to :
1. PS to Hon’ble Minister for Environment and Forests, GOI, New Delhi .
2. The Chief Secretary, Government of Jammu & Kashmir, Civil Secretariat, Jammu-180001, J&K.
3. Shri Hem Pande, Joint Secretary (AW), MoEF, GOI, New Delhi .
4. Dr. Ashgar Samoon, IAS, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Govt. of Jammu & Kashmir, Jammu & Kashmir. Mob. 09419015150, Ph.0194-2455357
5. Mr. Sheikh Mushtaq, Commissioner, Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Old Sectt Srinagar 190001, J&K.
6. Director, Animal Welfare Division, MoEF, New Delhi .
President, SPCA Srinagar (J&K). 385, Jawahar Nagar, Srinagar 190008