Supreme Court Orders Removal of All Stray Dogs from Delhi-NCR. Maneka Gandhi Deems it Impractical and Harmful. Delhi Government to Formulate and Implement Policy. Controversy and Environmental Concerns Rise.
Stray Dogs in Delhi: Former Union Minister Maneka Gandhi has described the Supreme Court's order to remove all stray dogs from Delhi-NCR and place them in shelter homes as impractical, expensive, and harmful to the environment. She argues that the government already had an effective plan in place, which this order will derail. On the other hand, the Delhi government has indicated that it will comply with the court's order.
Supreme Court Order
The Supreme Court, describing the problem of stray dogs in Delhi-NCR as "extremely serious," has directed the Delhi government and local bodies to capture dogs from all areas and place them in shelter homes. The court also stated that strict action will be taken against those who obstruct the campaign.
Maneka Gandhi's Statement: Order Impossible to Implement
Maneka Gandhi says that implementing this order is practically impossible. She stated that there are approximately three lakh dogs in Delhi. If they are to be removed from the streets, approximately 3,000 pounds of shelter homes would be required, with facilities such as drainage, water, sheds, kitchens, and watchmen.
According to her, it will cost approximately 15,000 crore rupees to build these shelter homes. In addition, feeding the captured dogs alone will cost about 5 crore rupees per week, which could provoke public anger. Also, one and a half lakh people will be needed to take care of them.
Background and Controversy of the Order
Maneka Gandhi said that this case is "extremely unwarranted" and was initiated based on a fake news report. The report claimed that a girl died from a dog attack, while in reality, she died from meningitis, as confirmed by her parents.
She alleged that this order was perhaps given in anger and without considering its feasibility. Furthermore, she questioned why a new order from a two-member bench came now when another bench of the Supreme Court had given a balanced verdict on the same issue a month ago.
Potential Impact on the Environment
Maneka Gandhi said that removing dogs will create other environmental problems. She argues that within 48 hours, three lakh dogs from Ghaziabad and Faridabad will come to Delhi because food will be available here.
She warned that as soon as the dogs are removed, monkeys will come down to the ground. Giving an example, she said that after dogs and cats were removed from Paris in the 1880s, the city was filled with rats. According to her, dogs are "rodent control animals" that maintain balance.
Existing Government Plan
Maneka Gandhi said that the government already had a roadmap in place, which had been agreed upon. This included sterilization, anti-rabies and distemper vaccination, a ban on relocation, and monitoring of Animal Birth Control (ABC) centers.
She claimed that if relocation stops, biting incidents will stop. Also, ABC centers should only operate under institutions recognized by the Animal Welfare Board, and their monitoring should be done by a committee of local residents. Problems were to be reduced.
