PANAJI
The High Court of Bombay at Goa has sought an account of the whereabouts of 492 dogs reportedly relocated by a panchayat, as it vehemently observed that animals could not simply ‘vanish into thin air.’
The Division Bench of Justice Valmiki Menezes and Justice Amit Jamsandekar also warned local body officials that continued non-compliance with its directions could lead to contempt proceedings.
“We expect clarity on where these dogs were relocated. We want to know that the stray dogs were relocated to such-and-such places. The whole thrust of the petition is to identify who these dogs are and sterilize them. If they are gone, how do we find them?” the Bench observed, after being informed that a Panchayat Secretary claimed that 492 dogs were relocated without any clarity on whether the dogs were sterilised before relocation or where they are taken, particularly since there are no shelter homes to accommodate them.
The Bench further slammed the local bodies, stating that “something is clearly amiss” in the compliance by the Secretaries of village panchayats, Chief Officers of the 12 municipalities and the Commissioner of the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) with its earlier directions concerning stray dogs and cattle.
The High Court also noted that local bodies had still not furnished data on domesticated and pet dogs in each ward, including their numbers, gender and whether they were sterilised. There was no material showing that door-to-door campaigns were conducted to promote large-scale sterilisation and awareness on vaccination, immunisation, deworming, waste management, reasonable feeding and adoption of stray dogs.
“If directions are not complied with before the next hearing, we would have no option but to initiate contempt proceedings against officials who had failed in their duties or refused to comply,” it warned.
The Court also found that its direction to create temporary shelters within three weeks of its September 10 order had not been complied with and ordered the authorities to comply before the next hearing on October 26.
The Bench further questioned the government’s sterilisation assistance after being told that an NGO spends around Rs 3,500 to sterilise a dog while the government provides Rs 1,800 per animal. It was pointed out that the authorities were interpreting the rules to mean that an NGO accepting the Rs 1,800 could not raise the remaining Rs 1,700 from another source.
“That can’t be,” the Bench observed, stating that the actual cost could be much higher, considering that a dog has to be caught, operated upon and kept in a kennel for around six days. It directed that the issue be taken up at the next hearing.
