Stray dogs issue
A number of celebrities and politicians have voiced their dissatisfaction of the directive, including filmmaker Siddharth Anand, actresses Janhvi Kapoor and Varun Dhawan, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
New Delhi, Aug. 12 (PTI) Even as animal rights activists took to the streets to protest the Supreme Court’s order to move all stray canines to shelters, the municipal government on Tuesday declared it will handle the matter with “compassion and understanding”.
A number of celebrities and politicians have voiced their dissatisfaction of the directive, including filmmaker Siddharth Anand, actresses Janhvi Kapoor and Varun Dhawan, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Officials stated that the local bodies will begin the process of executing the apex court’s judgment in a staggered way after Independence Day, even though the Delhi administration stated it would solicit feedback from stakeholders before creating a comprehensive strategy to transfer street dogs. The relocation plan was discussed at a meeting of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on Tuesday. “We must examine the resources at our disposal and set aside money for the campaign. We will organize a comprehensive campaign and act appropriately,” an NDMC official told PTI.
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress, emphasized that “blanket removals are harsh, shortsighted, and strip us of humanity” and called the Supreme Court’s order a reversal of decades of compassionate, scientifically supported policy.
“Nations confront greater moral dilemmas when they walk away from empathy,” said former Lok Sabha MP Varun Gandhi, who referred to the SC directive as the “institutionalization of cruelty.”
The SC directive was deemed “impractical,” “financially unviable,” and “possibly detrimental” to the natural balance of the region on Monday by his mother, Maneka Gandhi, a former Union minister and animal rights activist.
To the authorities, some were crying and pleading, “Please let them be free, they are like young kids.” Police arrested about 15 animal rights activists and brought them to a local police station. There was also an altercation between police officers and animal lovers during the demonstration.
Dogs should not be kept in shelters, protesters said, pointing out that people frequently only feed them on special holy occasions when priests recommend it.
The Delhi administration has already begun informal contacts with animal welfare organizations and campaigners to get their recommendations, according to a top official.
“The administration was holding talks to formalize a policy prior to the Supreme Court judgment, but the supreme court’s directives have provided an outline of procedures that need to be taken,” he stated.
According to an MCD official, the procedure of moving street dogs won’t start until after next week. According to a second senior civic official, it will begin after August 15.
On average, 10,000 sterilization and vaccination operations for stray dogs are performed each month, according to official data from the MCD. Currently, the city has 20 animal birth control centers run by 13 NGOs.
