5 AUG 2020 —
An animal rights activist Kuhu Roy from Vadodara, Gujarat has been demanding legal action against Veterinary Society for Animal Welfare & Rural Development (VSAWRD) for more than 3 years now but no action has been taken.
According to Kuhu, VSAWRD was given a contract to conduct the ABC programme in Vadodara in the year 2016 – 2017 but due to malpractices, their contract got cancelled. They were accused of indulging in killing and relocating of dogs in the name of ABC programme. In spite of several FIRs lodged against them no action has been taken against them till now. But the most shocking part is that inspite of FIRs and allegations of malpractices they have been allowed to carry on the ABC programme in the city of Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Surat ( Gujarat) and Ludhiana (Punjab).
Kuhu has written a letter to the Chairman, AWBI on 22nd June 2020 seeking prosecution and blacklisting of VSAWRD from carrying out the ABC programme. To see the details of the letter kindly go on the link below:
https://twitter.com/finalstand_org/status/1280545667614572545?s=2
Rooh Chowdhury and Sumeet Marwaha the animal rights activists from Ludhiana, Punjab have had first-hand experience with VSAWRD,. According to them the Animal Birth Control Centre at Hambran Road, Ludhiana is a killer centre for dogs where the mortality rate is 85 per cent. They are openly flouting dog rules and are not following the ABC protocols. Some of the misdeeds Rooh has reported in her letter to the Municipal Corporation about the centre are mentioned below:
1 The centre has the capacity to house 100 dogs but they keep 200 and more dogs
2 The food they give can barely fill the stomach of 50 to 60 dogs. Hence most of the dogs starve to death.
3 sick and infected dogs are kept with healthy dogs
4 They pick up dogs in the most brutal fashion by beating them and injecting them with sedatives.
5 They pick up pregnant and lactating dogs with their pups. Sometimes the pups are barely a few weeks old.
In the month of February 2020 Rooh wrote a letter to the Joint Commissioner, Municipal Corporation of Ludhiana telling them about this killer centre.
Rooh also wrote a letter to the Animal Welfare Board of India and PFA (People for Animals) and they instantly wrote letters to the Joint Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana to investigate and stop the centre from carrying out the ABC programme. The AWBI also asked them to start an enquiry and give them an update within 7 days of receiving the letter but it’s been more than seven months now and no action has been taken against the killer centre.
The AWBI and PFA both have asked for an enquiry in this case and to stop the centre from operating but it seems the Municipal Corporation of Ludhiana is quite happy with the centre’s performance.
It seems for the Municipal Corporation of Ludhiana, relocation of dogs, killing dogs in the name of ABC, flouting all ABC protocols and putting dogs through so much pain and making money out of their misery is quite rewarding and satisfactory. They are just so happy with the VSAWRD’s working that they don’t care about what PFA, AWBI or animal rights activists like Rooh have to say about them.
The ABC centres in India are paid money for every dog they sterilise. And the money is paid to them by the municipal corporations. The corporation does not hold these centres responsible for the deaths of dogs due to their negligence. Hence, these centres have no fear. All matters to them is the number of dogs they sterilize and not their health and survival post sterilisation.
If 100 dogs are taken for sterilisation and only 60 survive and the rest die due to faulty sterilisation the centre will still be paid money for 100 dogs because there is no provision of follow up.
How morally, legally and ethically correct is this?
Anyway not all ABC centres are like this but the one in Ludhiana is definitely only making money in the name of sterilisation because the health of the dog seems nowhere on their priority list.
Kuhu Roy has recently written a letter to the Chief Minister of Punjab Captain Amrinder Singh and has requested him to intervene in this case and stop this mayhem. Let’s see if the Chief Minister comes to the aid of the man’s best friend and saves them from this killer centre….
You may contact Dr Kuhu Roy at kuhu87@yahoo.com
Dr Kuhu Roy is a Nutritionist & a practising Diet Consultant in the city of Vadodara, Gujarat
You may contact Ms. Rooh Chowdhury at roohchowdhury@gmail.com
Ms. Rooh Chowdhury is an animal rights activist in the city of Ludhiana, Punjab
Hiranmay Karlekar