File photo of stray dogs inside the government-owned Junta quarters at Pajifond-Margao.
MARGAO
Animal lovers heaved a sigh of relief after the Supreme Court modified the August 11 order on relocation of stray dogs, with directions to the concerned authorities to release the strays back to the same localities after immunisation and sterilisation.
Welcome to the commercial capital, where the order of Apex Court is no news at all. Reason: There’s no mechanism worth its name in place in the city to catch dogs from streets and public spaces, let alone sterilise the strays and return them as mandated by the Court.
In fact, the next time a stray dog enters your housing society and you reach out to the agency appointed by the Margao Municipal Council (MMC), don’t be surprised if you’re told to catch and deliver the dog to the shelter yourself — or be prepared to pay for the transport.
This situation is perplexing, especially in light of the Supreme Court’s clear direction to local civic bodies to establish mechanisms for implementing the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme or to execute it through animal welfare NGOs.
It’s worth noting that the MMC entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a local NGO in March 2024 — notably without issuing an Expression of Interest (EOI). However, the civic body has not paid the NGO a single rupee for its work on the ABC front till date. Despite regularly submitting bills for reimbursement, the NGO has faced consistent delays. Most recently, the MMC has asked the NGO to get its bills certified by an Animal Husbandry doctor before any payments can be considered.
With no funds forthcoming, and lacking essential logistics — including dog catchers for want of payment of wages and a dedicated transportation van — the NGO has now been forced to halt activities related to catching and transporting strays for sterilisation.
Animal lover Sandra Fernandes voiced her frustration openly: “How does the MMC expect the NGO to conduct the ABC programme without catchers or a transport van? We have to pay wages, hire doctors — where are the funds to sustain this?”
Another animal activist pointed out that the ABC programme is, by law, primarily the responsibility of the local civic body. “If the MMC is unwilling to fund an NGO to implement the ABC programme, then the council should take up the task itself. They cannot simultaneously withhold payments and do nothing to move the programme forward,” the activist remarked.
Given the deadlock between the MMC and the NGO with no signs of the civic body drawing any plan to streamline the system, citizens are virtually left to fend for themselves. In fact, people are now left with no option but to bring stray dogs to the shelter themselves for sterilisation, or pay for both transport and the procedure.
