Plans afoot for ‘humane’ death of stray dogs

It, however, stayed the judgment for six weeks to allow an appeal in the Supreme Court.

The full Bench comprising Justice Dr S Radhakrishnan, Justice D B Bhosale and Justice V K Tahilramani, however, differed in their views. Justice Radhakrishnan held that Animal Birth Control Rules prevails over the BMC Act and the Municipal Commissioner can use his discretion to kill perennially violent dogs. As of now, under the rules the categories include rabid, incurably ill and mortally wounded dogs. Justice Radhakrishnan expanded it by including perennially violent dogs as well. Justice Bhosale and Justice Tahilramani felt the Municipal Commissioner has the power to use his discretion to kill dogs causing a nuisance as well under section 191 B A (2) of the Municipal Corporation Act.

The euthanasia committee, comprising three veterinary doctors from the BMC, an NGO and the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, will decide on a “humane” way to kill the stray dogs. “We will inject them with phenol barbipone which will kill them in a more humane way,” said Dr G T Ambe, joint executive health officer.

“Before injecting them with the lethal injection, we will undertake a detailed study on the type of dog, whether it is injured, seriously injured or one which cannot be cured at all,” said Dr Ashok Rasalkar, assistant health officer. Prior to this committee, the civic body had adopted a brutal way of killing the strays — by electrocuting them.

“We haven’t received the court orders till now. We will not take action till then,” said Municipal Commissioner Jairaj Phatak.

According to statistics available with the BMC, there are more than 70,812 stray dogs in the city and roughly 45,000 cases of stray dog bite incidents are reported every year. In 2008-09, the civic body is expected to spend Rs 4 crore for sterilisation of stray dogs and Rs 6 crore for anti-rabies vaccines.

Meanwhile, city-based NGOs point out that almost four lakh dogs were killed in a decade till 1994, but there was no reduction either in number of strays or dog bites.