Supreme Court’s order on all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR

The order says that all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR should be moved to shelters within 8 weeks.

The Supreme Court has recently ruled that no stray dogs should be released back onto the streets once housed in a shelter. The move by the SC on the issue is aimed at removing stray dogs from public spaces.

Supreme Court’s orders on all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR.

The Supreme Court has directed that all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR be picked up within eight weeks and housed in dedicated dog shelters to be set up by the concerned authorities. In a significant order, the court instructed municipal bodies and other agencies to work in coordination to create adequate shelter facilities within the stipulated time frame. This ensures the canines are removed from public spaces. The court has ordered that no stray dog should be released back onto the streets once housed in a shelter. It also instructed the Delhi government, the MCD and the NDMC to start picking up stray dogs from all localities. The SC has directed that stray dogs be kept at shelters and not released on streets, colonies or public places.

The court issues a warning in the case.

The Supreme Court has also warned that if any individual or organisation interferes with the process of picking up stray dogs, action will be taken. The court stressed that infants and young children should not, at any cost, fall prey to stray dogs. Last month, the SC had taken suo motu cognisance of a media report about incidents of dog bites leading to rabies. It said that every day, dog bites were being reported in the city and on its outskirts, which led to cases of rabies and ultimately children and the elderly falling prey to the disease.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) announced earlier this month that it will upgrade animal birth control centres and roll out zone-wise anti-rabies awareness drives to tackle the stray dog problem in Delhi.