The Supreme Court may have changed its earlier order on stray dogs on Friday this week, directing the civil agencies to follow the rules of animal birth control (ABC) and directed the sterilized and vaccination dogs to return to their areas, but for Delhi, the challenges remain the same. The collapse of the ABC centers, the lack of employees in the Municipal Corporation’s Delhi Corporation (MCD), and poor waste management remain a barrier to the entire exercise, and if the latest orders have to be made successful then they have to be decided.
On August 12, HT’s spot check in seven of the 20 ABC centers in the capital revealed minimum space, insufficient resources and pending payments from government agencies, underlining systemic deficiencies in very infrastructure to implement court instructions. These facilities run on a large scale by NGOs, frequent court deadlines and growing citizens are also struggling to keep pace as grapes of the city.
The Vice President of an animal welfare NGO, which operates three ABC units in Delhi, has long reduced the problems of untimely payments from MCD and shortage of space and resources.
“We have been working without reimbursement in all centers for the last six months. In our defense colony center, about 500–550 dogs are sterilized every month, but the pressure is stable and the resources are thin,” he said.
Also read The Supreme Court changes its ‘rigid’ order, allows the release of stray dogs
In April 2023, a report prepared by Advocates Shalini Aggarwal and Khushboo Saneni of Ahimsa Fellowship Project Fellow already flagged off several issues in these centers. It documented how there were not enough veterinary officers in the majority, that dogs were often detained for longer than necessary even after sterilization, and were not being tagged before release. The report also paid attention to the continuous use of poor isolation of animals, crowded kennels and loop-and-poll constructs, causing injuries or strangles.
Experts said that these deficiencies show that the ABC model, although legally mandatory, is hoisting on the ground in Delhi. “We need a supporting infrastructure to match the need to sterilize these dogs. Currently, we have seen many shortcomings, which if not addressed, will obstruct the ABC implementation,” a worker, who led to the construction of the Delhi Animal Welfare Board in the 2022 petition in the Delhi High Court.
Also read Dog Dog Feeding Spot Dream a pipe for 16 years in Delhi
MCD’s veterinary department is most visible in the veterinary department, which is expected to lead the Awara Dog Control Program. According to MCD data, 277 out of 649 sanctioned posts in the department are vacant, which reduces about 43%. The department is without a director for more than nine months, while one of its two additional directors posts is also empty.
Supervisory roles have been most difficult. 60% of veterinary officers are vacant, with 27 posts, 45 are incomplete against the sanctioned strength of 45. About half of all veterinary inspectors posts are also empty. These
The operational manpower is equally thin. The department requires 64 drivers to operate the van, but only 27 places. The venture-designed posts in the middle of the animal catcher field staff as a multi-tasking staff (veterinary) are vacant. Even clerical employees are missing, 78 Junior Secretariat Unfilled with 52 of the posts of Assistant.
A senior MCD official admitted that he was killing the interval fieldwork. “To catch dogs and ensure effective sterilization and ensure withdrawal, manpower intervals need to be addressed,” the officer said on the condition of anonymity.
While the court has now stopped street feeding and asked the municipalities to create nominated feeding zones, the residents said that the big issue was the capital’s poor waste management. The welfare associations of the residents continue to act as feeding points with thousands of fits across Delhi, arguing that the number of stray dogs will remain uncontrolled.
Also read Allowly ready to implement the latest SC order on stray dogs: Delhi Mayor
Atul Goel, president of Urja, a umbrella body of more than 2,500 Resident Welfare Association (RWA) in Delhi, said that the feeding points are nothing until the waste is properly managed. “Dhalos are always a source of food for dogs. Similarly, the waste and scraps thrown by restaurants in the markets also attract dogs. As long as we do not address systemic intervals, we will not be able to implement these feeding points effectively,” he said.
Shiv Mehra, president of Maharani Bagh Arva, resonated anxiety in his neighborhood to Dhalos. He said, “There is a stable supply of food waste including bones. This provides permanent food security to dogs, and their number increases,” he said.
Animal welfare groups also warned that sterilization and feeding areas would not solve the problem alone until the city exploded on illegal breeding and promoted adoption.
PETA India’s Advocke Associate Shaurya Aggarwal urged the public to participate in his share – refusing to support the breeders and pet shops to adopt a dog in need from road or animal shelter. He said, “Support the efforts of sterilization and sterilization to fellow dogs,” he said, without public support, the task becomes even more difficult.
Experts said that non -governmental organizations were required to succeed continuous money and timely reimbursement program. “Centers are delayed to work on credit delayed in payment. It affects food, medicine and salaries of employees. Without correcting these basic things, no order from the Supreme Court can work on the ground,” Seshamani said.
Alokperna Sengupta, Managing Director of Animal World for Animals India, said the correct effect of the order would depend on how devoted the civic staff is in implementing it. “Infrastructure such as health centers and feeding zones need to be equipped with responsibly and manage. The further route requires cooperation, accountability and above, compassion.”
