New Delhi: Former BJP MP and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi has accused municipal authorities of large-scale corruption and mismanagement in Delhi’s dog sterilisation and shelter system, warning that such practices are fuelling the stray dog menace rather than solving it.
Speaking to IANS on Tuesday, Gandhi alleged that several dog shelters in the capital, referred to as A, B, and C centres, have been operating for two decades without accountability.
“These centres claim to sterilise 10 dogs but take payment for 20,000. Earlier, when a senior MCD officer retired, he would be ‘gifted’ one of these centres to keep earning money. This has to stop. If these centres are fixed, all problems can be resolved within two years,” she said.
Gandhi also accused Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and municipal bodies of illegally relocating stray dogs from upscale colonies to other areas, often before major national events.
“For the past six years, RWAs have been removing dogs from their areas and dumping them elsewhere. MCD does the same; if officers don’t like dogs in their neighbourhood, they send them to places like the lanes of Panchkuian. Before Republic Day, they remove dogs from venues to avoid showing them where speeches are given. Last year, dogs from near Red Fort were dumped in Raja Garden,” she said.
With Independence Day approaching, Gandhi warned that a similar operation was underway. “They will remove 150 dogs from around Red Fort and dump them in Defence Colony. This relocation increases dog bites because the animals are scared, hungry, attacked by resident dogs, or beaten by locals in unfamiliar areas,” she said.
Her remarks come after the Supreme Court directed that all stray dogs in Delhi NCR be removed from the streets and housed in shelters. Following the order, the Delhi government instructed civic bodies in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram to build shelters, move stray dogs, and update the court.
(IANS)
