THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A reportedly unauthorised private dog shelter in Kuttichal panchayat that has been at the centre of the city corporation’s controversial stray-dog management programme has been served a stop memo, with the operator given seven days to relocate the animals. An inspection carried out by panchayat authorities found that between 125 and 150 dogs are being illegally housed at the facility without the permission or knowledge of the panchayat.
“The individual obtained a permit and pollution clearance under the pretext of starting a pet-breeding and bird-rearing facility around four months back. However, instead of pet animals, stray dogs were secretly transported and housed here without our permission.
There are no proper waste pits or basic infrastructure at the facility. Local residents reported seeing vehicles secretly bringing in dogs late at night between 2 am and 4 am,” said president Radha Jayan, Kuttichal grama panchayat.
She said the corporation has not approached it or informed it about any proposal to establish a dog shelter in its jurisdiction. On Wednesday, panchayat officials, including secretary, veterinary doctor, health standing committee chairman and ward member, inspected the facility and summoned its operator. The panchayat on Friday served a stop memo directing him to shift the dogs within seven days.
“We have issued a stop memo giving seven days to relocate the dogs. If there is no action from the operator within that period, we will proceed with further steps,” said Sreekumar, panchayat secretary-in-charge.
He said the panchayat would convene a committee to decide on further measures and indicated that the dogs would have to be moved with appropriate protection. He ruled out the possibility of the panchayat taking over the animals, citing the absence of suitable space and facilities.
The shelter has come under scrutiny amid allegations that stray dogs captured in Thiruvananthapuram are being transported to undisclosed locations outside the city.
An RTI response obtained by People for Animals (PFA) reportedly refers to around 300 dogs being moved beyond corporation limits.
A pet owner from Karamana said she visited the Kuttichal facility on September 28 to retrieve her licensed dog caught by the corporation on the direction of an official of the civic body. “I retrieved two dogs from the facility belonging to a friend but I couldn’t find my own dog. Three dogs were taken from Karamana ward. The dogs are kept in miserable condition. A petition has been filed in the court regarding the missing dog,” the pet parent said.
PFA is gearing up to intervene in the matter. Sreedevi S Kartha, PFA member, said that the dogs are under real threat. “There is no doubt the dog shelter belongs to the corporation. They were picked up, sterilised as a group and brought through official channels. The dogs should be removed responsibly to another safe location. We will make necessary interventions,” she said.
Corp’s version
A senior official of the corporation said that shelter licences fall under the Pet Rules. “That is currently at the framing stage and the state is yet to implement it. Furthermore, there is a Supreme Court order in favour of sheltering. Even if a stop memo is issued and presented in court, the SC will never ask it to be shut down. Moreover, these dogs cannot simply be released into the wild,” the official added.