Supreme Court orders authorities to move stray dogs in Delhi-NCR to shelters

The Supreme Court has directed the authorities of several cities to move stray dogs to shelters, ensuring that the shelters have sufficient personnel for sterilisation and immunisation of the stray dogs.

Supreme Court has directed the authorities of cities like Noida, Gurgaon and Ghaziabad to move stray dogs to shelters

This is to curb the “grim” situation for which, “immediate steps need to be taken." The court added that CCTV must be installed to ensure that no dogs are taken out.

A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan asked the authorities, including the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), to address the situation of growing strays in several areas and curtail the spread of rabies.

“There should not be any compromise in undertaking any exercise. If any individual or organisation comes in the way of picking stray dogs or rounding them up, we will proceed to take action against any such resistance.”

“Infants and young children, at any cost, should not fall prey to rabies. The action should inspire confidence that they can move freely without fear of being bitten by stray dogs. No sentiments should be involved.”

They directed authorities to begin work on a shelter for 5,000 to 6,000 dogs in the next six weeks. It said the authorities will start picking up stray dogs from all localities, particularly vulnerable localities and cities, such as Noida, Gurgaon and Ghaziabad.

One of the biggest reasons for the growth of stray population is rapid urbanization in India, which has led them to lose their home. As a result, there is a higher concentrations of stray dogs in cities and towns. Other reasons include lack of proper waste management which leaves these dogs scavenging for food in dumping grounds.

Public health guidelines recommend vaccinating about 70% of the population and maintaining high sterilisation rates to control rabies and keep populations stable. Countries often use a mix of vaccination, sterilisation, registration, public awareness and large-scale sheltering to curb the population of stray dogs.

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