Dog feeders gain legal shield from harassment

The Delhi Government has made harassing, threatening, or obstructing anyone “responsibly” feeding community dogs, a punishable offence, under the new guidelines issued by the Department of Urban Development.

The department sent the directives on Monday to civic bodies, including the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the New Delhi Municipal Council.

The guidelines, titled “Guidelines for Street Dog Population Management, Rabies Eradication, and Reduction of Human-Dog Conflict in Delhi,” follow the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023.

They provide local authorities with instructions on marking feeding points, registering pets and implementing sterilisation and vaccination programmes. Under the rules, resident welfare associations and local residents will identify feeding spots in each locality, taking into account dogs’ territorial habits.

The letter states, “While choosing such points, it must be borne in mind that dogs are territorial by nature; forcing them to move out of their territories causes conflict.” The government also said it will recognise RWAs that make effective arrangements for feeding. In cases of disputes between RWAs and residents, “the committee prescribed under Rule 20 of the ABC Rules 2023 shall visit the location and take a decision.”

The new guidelines include procedures for handling aggressive and rabid dogs. Such animals are to be kept under supervision or isolated, while habitually aggressive dogs may be permanently housed in shelters recognised by the Animal Welfare Board of India. Rabid dogs are to be isolated until natural death, with carcasses disposed of safely.

The government has introduced incentives for adopting Indian dog breeds, including exemption from registration fees and free sterilisation and first vaccinations. All pet dogs over three months must be registered with the local body under two categories: Breeding and Non-breeding.

Only Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI)-recognised Animal Welfare Organisations can conduct sterilisation programmes, and ABC centres must meet specific infrastructure requirements such as kennels, operation theatres with power backup, vans and incinerators. Reports must be submitted monthly and annually, and reimbursements for sterilisation, as per rules, will be based on the number of organs removed.

Local ABC Monitoring Committees are required to meet at least once a month to review progress.