SC order on stray dogs | ‘Heads should roll if order not implemented soon’: RWAs sceptical but hopeful

“The court should take stock of the situation after eight weeks and heads should roll if their directions are not complied with,” Kakaria added, highlighting that many previous court judgments were still “unimplemented”.

BS Vohra, President of the East Delhi RWA Joint Front, said people are troubled by dogs, noting that in recent years, a surge has been observed in the cases of dog bites. “We are all dog lovers, but they often chase people who go out for walks or enter the localities on two-wheelers. There should be a balance between animal rights and human welfare. Even if 50% of the stray dogs are picked up, it will be a relief,” Vohra asserted.

Atul Goyal of the United Residents Joint Action (URJA), a civil society group, said that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) may not have the capacity to carry out such a drive. “While this decision is definitely welcome, I don’t think the MCD has the capacity to round up all the dogs. And the time given is also less. But the MCD acts under pressure and fear, and looking at the statements of political leaders, we are hopeful this time,” Goyal said.

A Supreme Court bench on Monday asked the authorities in Delhi-NCR, including the MCD and New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), to start removing dogs from the streets, build the shelters and report to it on the creation of such infrastructure within eight weeks. It said that the shelters must have sufficient personnel for sterilisation and immunisation of the stray dogs, which should not be released into public places. The centres should be monitored by CCTV cameras to ensure that no dogs are taken out.

“This time the directions are centralised. Previous orders required colonies to set up dog-feeding points and shelters only within the colonies. I feel this time it will be very difficult,” Goyal said.

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