BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to create awareness among the public across the state about the guidelines on ‘feeding of street animals and conflict resolution’ issued by the Animal Welfare Board.
A division bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Krishna S Dixit passed the order after hearing a petition filed by advocate Ramesh Naik L seeking directions to the state government to implement the guidelines issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India.
Expressing concern about the impact of feeding dogs in open places, the court quoted one of the guidelines that stated that it is the responsibility of the residents to ensure that all dogs in their locality are sterilised and regularly vaccinated by the local authority.
The guidelines also stated that the District Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) should ensure that all resident welfare associations have an animal welfare committee that will be responsible for ensuring compliance with the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and ensuring ease of communication between caregivers, feeders or animal lovers and other residents.
According to the guidelines, no RWA/society/individual can restrict anyone from feeding or caring for street animals. In case of any conflict, the RWA should designate feeding points away from the public, but within the territories of the dogs. Feeders are advised to clean any remaining food after feeding to avoid attracting rodents and other pests.
Under the provisions of conflict resolution, it was stated that if anyone has a grievance about any act of caregivers/feeders, feeding community dogs, they must engage in dialogue and discussion through the animal welfare committee. If this does not solve the issue, RWAs may bring the grievance to the notice of the DSPCA.