THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the Supreme Court directing the state government to remove stray dogs from the premises of schools, colleges and other public institutions within eight weeks, the Local Self Government Department (LSGD) is scrambling for solutions.
The LSGD principal secretary has convened an urgent high-level meeting on Thursday with secretaries from key departments, including animal husbandry, health, transport, PWD, and NHAI to chalk out a coordinated action plan.
As per the Supreme Court direction, the stray dog caught from public places should be vaccinated, neutered and relocated to shelters. “We have studied the order and it mandates that the animals be shifted to shelters, but the state does not currently have the infrastructure to accommodate them.
The apex court has specifically mentioned the places where the dogs need to be removed. Various departments are involved. Hence we have called for this meeting to arrive at a decision on how to implement the court order,” an official said. The official said that after the meeting, a chief secretary-level meeting will be held.
According to the animal husbandry department, LSGD is responsible for 80 per cent of stray dog management including setting up of shelters, ABC centres and other infrastructure.
“We will be giving a set of suggestions in the upcoming meeting. The construction work of around 30 ABC centres attached to the veterinary hospital under the department will be expedited,” said an official source.
Meanwhile, animal welfare groups plan legal fightback against the Supreme Court ruling on stray dogs. Animal welfare organisations are preparing to move a review petition before the Supreme Court challenging its recent ruling on the management of stray dogs, alleging that the verdict was passed without hearing their side.
“A collective organisation of 25 animal welfare organisations across the state will file a review petition. If the review plea is rejected, the groups intend to file a curative petition and seek the constitution of a new bench by the Chief Justice of India,” said Sreedevi S Kartha, a member of People for Animal (PFA).
The organisations also raised concerns over the growing hostility faced by dog feeders in various districts. Following complaints, animal rights activists recently met the state police chief, who has directed all district police heads to accept and act on complaints related to harassment against dog feeders. According to unofficial records, the state has around 4 lakh strays.
“The Supreme Court directive is being widely misinterpreted by the public. The residents are calling us demanding to remove community dogs from streets and neighbourhoods. It is impractical to take care of so many dogs, and know who is going to cover the expenses and mobilise the resources. For food alone it will cost around Rs 100 per dog,” said Sreedevi S Kartha.
ABC centres
Number of ABC centres approved by AWBI: 19
Number of ABC centres under construction: 30
Total number of stray dogs vaccinated from 1-9-2024 to 31-8-2025: ,51,610
Number of strays vaccinated from March 2025 to 30-9-2025: 53,401
Number of stray dogs sterilised from 1-9-2024 to 31-08-2025: 15,825