THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Legislations are drawn up for people’s welfare and should be redrafted if they don’t serve the purpose, businessman Kochouseph Chittilappilly has said.He was addressing the large gathering that poured into the LMS compound here to express solidarity with his 24-hour fast demanding action against stray dog menace.
“The Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules that prevent killing of stray dogs is a suspicious piece of legislation. Even the courts are helpless to save the people from the menace owing to the provisions in this legislation,” he said.
Quoting the World Health Organisation, Chittilappilly said 55,000 people die across the world every year owing to rabies. “Asian and African countries top the list and a good number of victims are from India, especially children,” he said.
The programme was organised by the Stray Dog Free Movement in association with the Federation of Residents’ Associations Trivandrum.
District Collector Biju Prabhakar said the vaccine companies are the sole beneficiaries of the ban on killing stray dogs.
“The country’s top-most lawyers represent animal lovers in court cases challenging the ban on killing. The vaccine companies are reaping rich dividends from the ban at the peril of the public.
“Animal lovers claim sterilisation is the remedy for the menace, but I beg to differ. Sterilisation does not ensure that the dogs will not bite anyone in future,” he said.