VINIT WAHI
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday said the government will soon bring a policy to tackle the growing stray dog menace and implement the Supreme Court’s order to remove the animals from the streets in a planned manner.
“Delhi people are fed up of stray dogs. We have been discussing on the issue. The Supreme Court’s directions are important. We want to provide relief to people. The problem (of stray dogs) has assumed gigantic proportion. We will form a policy and provide relief to people,” Mrs. Gupta said at a press conference.
The Supreme Court earlier in the day directed authorities in Delhi and adjoining NCR cities to capture all stray dogs and place them in shelters, making it clear they must not be released back into public spaces. The order came in a suo motu case taken up on July 28 over rising incidents of dog bites leading to rabies in the capital.
Calling the situation “extremely grim”, a bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan said no obstruction in the exercise would be tolerated and warned of strict action, including contempt proceedings, against individuals or organisations opposing the move.
“Will the so-called animal lovers bring back the lives of children who have died of rabies?” the bench asked, stressing that public safety must come first.
The court directed the Delhi government and civic bodies in Gurugram, Noida and Ghaziabad to start the process immediately, prioritising vulnerable and outskirt areas. It asked that shelters be set up for at least 5,000 dogs within six to eight weeks, equipped for sterilisation, vaccination and care. The shelters must also have CCTV monitoring to prevent release of the dogs.
Authorities were told to maintain daily records of captured animals, set up a helpline within a week for reporting dog bite incidents, and respond within four hours of a complaint. Victims must be informed of available medical facilities, and the government was ordered to publish details on rabies vaccine availability and usage.
The bench said the measures were necessary in the “larger public interest” to ensure residents, especially children, could move freely without fear. “Not a single dog picked up shall be released back onto the streets,” it added.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta urged the court to ensure compliance from all NCR authorities, a suggestion the bench accepted.
At a press conference later, Gupta said Delhi residents were “fed up” with the stray dog problem, which she described as having reached “gigantic proportions”. She said the government had been holding discussions and would bring a humane but effective policy.