Supreme Court Orders Delhi NCR That All Strays Should Be Moved To Shelter
Supreme Court Orders That All Strays Should Be Moved To Shelter: The Supreme Court on Monday took the issue of the stray dogs menace seriously and issued strict orders. The court has ordered the authorities in Delhi NCR to remove stray dogs and keep them in dog shelters.
The court has said that if any person or organization creates a hindrance in this work, then strict action will be taken against them. The apex court said that all areas should be freed from stray dogs and there should be no compromise in this.
SC sought a report
Coming down heavily on animal and dog lovers, the court asked whether animal rights activists would be able to bring back rabies victims. The court has asked the Delhi government, MCD, and NDMC to build a shelter for dogs and submit a report on its infrastructure within eight weeks.
It has been said that a daily record of the stray dogs caught will be maintained. Not even a single stray dog should be left alone. A helpline should be set up within a week to report dog bites. Expressing concern over rabies caused by dog bites, the court has also given instructions regarding the availability of a vaccine to prevent it.
This order was given by a bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan during the hearing on the menace of stray dogs. The court termed the situation extremely serious and stated that it would not consider any intervention application in this matter.
Appointed amicus curiae on the matter
The Supreme Court had recently taken suo motu cognizance of news reports in the media regarding rabies caused by dog bites and commenced hearing on this case. The court had appointed senior advocate Gaurav Agarwal as amicus curiae in the case.
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that something needs to be done to deal with the menace of stray dogs. We cannot sacrifice our children just because some people consider themselves animal lovers. The court said that will all these animal activists, so-called animal lovers, will be able to bring back all those children who have fallen victim to rabies. Will they be able to give life to those children again?
Will there be a campaign to catch dogs?
The court said that there is a need to run a campaign to catch stray dogs. Not even a single stray dog should be seen roaming around. Tushar Mehta said that sterilization can stop the breeding rate, but it does not eliminate the ability of dogs to spread rabies. There is no cure for rabies. He has seen children dying and parents crying helplessly in YouTube videos, because even doctors say that there is no cure for it.
The court said that it is hearing this case keeping in mind the larger public interest. They took note of how small children and the elderly are becoming victims of dog bites. The court stressed removing stray dogs from the streets and all sensitive places and said that this will make children feel safe while riding bicycles and playing, and the elderly feel safe while walking.
Become a shelter for dogs
Mehta told the court that the MCD had earlier identified a place to relocate stray dogs, but some animal rights activists filed a petition in the High Court and got it stopped. The court on Monday issued several directions in this regard and warned of strict action in case of any obstruction in the work of removing stray dogs.
The court has directed the state and municipal authorities to set up dog shelters where there should be sufficient staff for sterilization and vaccination of dogs. These dog shelters will be monitored through CCTV.
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