HC orders inspection of Delhi govt vet hospitals to set up dog sterlisation centres

The Delhi High Court today ordered inspection of all the 77 veterinary hospitals and dispensaries run by the AAP government in the national capital to ascertain their condition and to identify if space was available in any of them to run centres to sterilise dogs.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said that a joint team comprising officials of the municipal corporations and the Delhi government's Department of Animal Husbandry as well as animal rights activist Gauri Maulekhi will carry out the inspection.

The bench said that once space for a sterilisation centre is identified, immediate steps should be taken to set up the facilities without waiting for an order from the court.

It issued the direction after a director of veterinary services from one of the three corporations told the court that more sterilisation centres are required to effectively reduce the numbers of stray dogs in the national capital.

He said that the current facilities available are hardly sufficient to make any impact on the numbers of stray canines.

The directors of veterinary services of the three corporations were present in court pursuant to its direction of April 23.

The court had sought their presence after being annoyed at the poor state of the dog sterilisation centres run by the corporations.

Advocate Naushad Ahmed Khan, who had in his report pointed out the sad state of the sterilisation centres, today told the bench that more than 10 stray dogs were kept in cages meant for four or five.

Taking note of the submission, the bench directed the corporations to ensure that all their centres comport to the requirements of the module for management of dog population and eradication of rabies drafted by the Animal Welfare Board of India on the orders of the Supreme Court.

With the direction, the court listed the matter for further hearing on May 24.

On April 23, Khan had told the court that the centres had no facility to dispose animal carcasses and surgical waste.

Another matter of concern was lack of cleanliness at the centres, he had said.

The bench was hearing a PIL by a resident of Tekhand Village in south Delhi. The petitioner has opposed the setting up of a veterinary hospital there on the grounds that a bigger and better facility exists in Tughlakabad village.