All stray dogs to be rounded up in Delhi-NCR, moved to shelters: Supreme Court's big order

Describing the stray dog menace as "extremely grim", the Supreme Court on Monday directed the Delhi Government, MCD, NDMC and NOIDA, Gurugram authorities to pick up strays from all localities at the earliest and put them in dog shelters.

"Start picking up all stray dogs at the earliest in all possible manners and shift them to a far-off place…Whether sterilised or not, society should be free from stray dogs. You should not find a single stray dog moving around in any locality of the city or in the outskirts,” a Bench led by Justice JB Pardiwala said, terming it the first step towards solution of the problem.

The Bench which also included Justice R Mahadevan ordered that dog shelters with CCTV cameras should be created to accommodate around 5,000 stray dogs and sufficient personnel should be deployed there to sterilise and immunise the canines. Dog shelters will be monitored by CCTV to ensure no dogs are taken out, it said.

“We have noticed one very absurd and unreasonable rule, if you pick up a stray dog from one part, you sterilise the dog and put him in the same place, that's absolutely absurd and doesn't make any sense at all. Why should that stray dog come back to the locality and for what?" it wondered.

The top court warned that if any person or organisation obstructed the removal of stray dogs by the civil authorities, strict action will be taken against them. The authorities can use force, if necessary, to pick up stray dogs, it said, seeking a report before the next hearing.

"Infants and young children, not at any cost, should fall prey to rabies. The action should inspire confidence that they can move freely without fear of being bitten by stray dogs. No sentiments should be involved…" said the Bench which had on July 28 taken suo motu cognisance of a news report about death of a six-year-old girl in the national capital due to rabies caused by stray dog bites.

Directing the authorities to create a helpline within a week to enable people to immediately report dog bite cases, the Bench said, "We are issuing these directions keeping larger public interest in mind.”

Everyday, hundreds of dog bites were being reported in the city and on its outskirts, leading to rabies and ultimately, children and the elderly were falling prey to the dreadful disease, the Bench had noted on July 28.

The top court directed MCD/NDMC and appropriate authorities of Noida and Gurugram to maintain record of daily stray dogs captured and detained. It emphasized that not a single stray dog should be released, otherwise the entire exercise will go futile.

Terming availability of vaccines as a major concern, it directed the authorities concerned to put detailed information of vaccines available, the stock of vaccines and the persons who have sought it.