Delhi govt issues guidelines on street dog management

The guidelines specify that local authorities must engage recognised organisations only for animal control

New Delhi

Sterilisation and first vaccination of Indian breeds adopted by residents will be free of cost at the ABC centres. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

The Delhi government issued guidelines for managing street dogs to civic agencies on Tuesday, directing them to engage only with animal welfare organisations recognised by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) for carrying out animal birth control (ABC) programmes.

The guidelines specify that local authorities, namely the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), and the Delhi Cantonment Board, must engage recognised organisations, and ensure training of veterinarians, handlers, and para-veterinary staff of the organisations from ABC centres, jointly run by such bodies.

Animal activist Gauri Malekhi, who is also a special invitee member of the state ABC monitoring committee – the body which issued the guidelines – stated that while many of the guidelines reiterated existing rules, new directives have also been added. “It states that harassment of anyone feeding a dog is a punishable offence, as we have seen many feeders, especially the women and elderly, getting attacked for feeding dogs. Directives for a complaint redressal mechanism have also been included, so that anyone who is not happy with the actions taken by a local authority, such as the MCD, can approach the state ABC monitoring committee,” she said.

The guidelines call for ensuring sufficient infrastructure, such as kennels, vans, operation theatres with power backups, and incinerators/deep burial facilities. The guidelines also state that local ABC monitoring committees have to be constituted and meet at least once a month to assess progress in implementing ABC rules.

Praising the guidelines for being clear and protecting feeders, politician and animal activist Maneka Gandhi said, “The guidelines specify that residents who adopt Indian dogs (breeds) will be exempt from paying the registration fees. This promotes adoption of dogs from shelters and streets.”

The rules also state that the sterilisation and first vaccination of Indian breeds will be free of cost at the ABC centres.

The guidelines also state that non-rabid and non-aggressive dogs have to be released, and to handle habitually aggressive dogs, municipal bodies must “empanel private shelters run by animal welfare organizations recognised by the AWBI, which have space for permanent housing of such dogs.”

Additionally, the rules also state that local authorities have to hold public awareness campaigns to increase public awareness of dog behaviour and the appropriate conduct towards community dogs.

“I think it is a brilliant step, as not only are these rules being stated by the Delhi government for the first time, but they also ensure accountability, by laying down the monitoring committee’s functions. They seek to ensure transparency and the participation of civil society in order to better the ABC program.” said Malekhi.