The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Delhi government and municipal corporations of Noida and Gurugram to capture and shift street dogs to shelters, saying that the situation was “grim” and “immediate steps need to be taken” to address the problem, The Indian Express reported.
A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan asked the authorities to act immediately, start building shelters for 5,000 to 6,000 dogs within six weeks and report back to the court within eight weeks.
The court had taken suo motu cognisance of the matter on July 28 after a report about incidents of dog bites leading to rabies in the National Capital Region.
Street dogs must be picked up from all localities, particularly vulnerable areas in the city, the court ordered on Monday. It allowed the authorities to use force when necessary to capture the dogs, Live Law reported.
The shelters must have sufficient personnel to sterilise and immunise the dogs, who should not be released into public places, the bench said.
The Supreme Court said that there should be no compromise in the matter. “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,” the bench said.
“Infants and young children, at any cost, should not fall prey to rabies,” the court said. “The action should inspire confidence that they can move freely without fear of being bitten by stray dogs. No sentiments should be involved.”
Also read: Why is India seeing so much rage against street dogs?
You’ve read Scroll.
Now help sustain it
Scroll is funded by readers, not corporate owners. If you believe our work matters, support our newsroom. Become a member today!
We’re not driven by clicks or corporate interests – just honest, independent reporting. Keep us going. Support Scroll today!